Cat and Dog
by MoonAbyss
Summary: A Nekoosa is enemy to the Inuzuka clan, for obvious reasons. Kaira's childhood friend tries his best to keep Nekoosa and Inuzuka from getting close, but it isn't working; Kaira is a hidden person, so no one knows her past, or what she will endure. OCxKiba
1. The Cat and the Dog

**So, I'll only post chapter 1 for now, but I already wrote all the way to chapter 9.**

**If you like this story, then tell me and I'll post the others, mmkay? Cuz I don't wanna post this if no one would read it, sooo...**

_**Tell Me What You Think && If I Should Continue This One!**_

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Ah, a new day in the village hidden in the leafs, Konoha. Such nice, breezy weather. The village seems to be a peace…

"KAIRA NEKOOSA!"

Or maybe not…

At the ninja academy, the highest class, about ready to graduate, erupted with a yell from their instructor, Iruka Umino, known to the students as Iruka-sensei. He was yelling at a young girl with jet black hair and bright purple eyes.

She was caught sleeping in class…again; but hey, she's from the Nekoosa clan, aka the kitty clan, so what do you expect? Cats are known for their cat naps, aren't they?

"Urrrrgh…" Kaira Nekoosa yawned, rubbing her eye and finding a tiny tear at the end of her eye. She sat up from her slumped over position and stretched out her arms, trying to fully awaken.

"You fell asleep again! That's the seventh time this week and it's only Wednesday!" Iruka-sensei yelled, obviously angry. "You can't expect to graduate in two days if you keep slacking off!" Kaira looked up and locked eyes with her sensei.

"I'm sorry, sensei, but you know," Kaira signaled for her cat, Mei, who was laying right by her on the desk. Mei yawned sheepishly; she was sleeping as well. "Mei has been having nightmares lately, so I wake up about every hour to watch and care for her. I just can't let Mei suffer simply because I have school the next day. Priorities are priorities." Kaira replied gently. She was obviously trying to get out of trouble, but she wasn't completely lying.

"Does she actually think Iruka-sensei would fall for that again?" A girl in her class, Ino Yamanaka, whispered to another girl sitting by her. The two girls started giggling like Kaira was some sort of idiot for using the same 'excuse' over and over again. Iruka took a step back and put his hand to his head.

"Alright, but you have to control yourself from falling asleep in class!" Was all he said before walking back up to the front of the class. Kaira sweetly smiled until he had his back turned towards her. Then she glanced at Ino and her friend and Kaira's sweet smile turned sinister.

_Ha, I showed you. _Kaira thought. The girls shivered and quickly looked away from fear of Kaira. She then plopped down on the desk and made a bored face.

"What a stupid cat." said the boy sitting next to her. Kaira, and the classmates who heard the remark, turned their gaze to the origin of the comment. Kiba Inuzuka.

Say, who's bright idea was it to put a Inuzuka and Nekoosa right next to each other? Don't they know that cats and dogs and prone to fight when put next to one another.

Yes, Kiba is from the Inuzuka clan; whereas Kaira is from the Nekoosa clan. As previously said, cats and dogs always fight. Thus, Kiba and Kaira fight, and have been fighting, for the past 7 years, since they first met one another.

"What'd you say, you filthy mongrel?" Kaira hissed. Since she was just a child, she couldn't control when her cat ears and tail pop out or not, but right now, they were out. Kiba grinned and leaned back in his chair as his faithful companion, Akamaru, made a whimpering noise.

"I'm just saying this: cats are always lazy." Kiba shrugged like it was no problem saying that. Kaira made a fist and her eyes turned into slits, like cat eyes.

"You're bold for saying that." Kaira's anger turned into a sweet smile with a hidden motive behind it. "You're disgusting; get out of my sight." Her sweet smile sent out a killer aura that made everyone freeze. Kiba was oblivious to the aura because his eyes widened as he stood up.

"What was that, cat?" He spat. Kaira smirked up at him. Before everyone knew it, Kiba flew his fist forward, making contact with Kaira's stomach. He was taking it easy on her, seeing as she was a girl. He just punched her stomach. At least he didn't aim for her face or anything.

She fell back on the ground, but landed elegantly. She used her cat reflexes to quickly jump up after being knocked down and aimed for Kiba's face. She'll make him regret taking it easy on her. Too bad she underestimated Kiba's speed. Kiba slipped away from her attack and she dove into the crowd of students.

"Kaira! Kiba! You two stop this fighting!" Iruka-sensei yelled above his student's screams.

"Yeah, cat, cut it out, you might end up hurting someone." Kiba mocked her first failure at attacking him. She escaped the crowd and glared at him. Then she took off for him and within a second's noticed she ran past him.

"No, only you." Kaira laughed, looking at her finger that had blood on it. She turned around and faced Kiba. His cheek was bleeding in a fine line.

"Why, you-" Kiba growled, wiping his cheek and looked fiercely at her. Kaira then shrugged and made a smug face. He leaped for her and she braced herself. Before they made contact again, Iruka-sensei jumped in, grabbed their heads, and forced their foreheads to collide. The two students fell to the ground, dazed.

"I told you two to stop it!" He yelled, storming back to the front of the class. The kids erupted in laughter at their unfortunate classmates. Kiba and Kaira were stunned, laying on the ground. Both heads were throbbing.

"Bad animals have to be punished." Laughed one of the boy classmates, but it is unknown as to who said it.

_I'll find out who said that and they'll pay._ Kaira thought, but instantly stopped. It even hurt to think right now. She moved her head a little and made eye contact with Kiba. "Filthy mutt." She hissed.

"Stupid feline." He growled.

They didn't noticed, but their faithful companions, Kiba's Akamaru and Kaira's Mei, were laying side-by-side, on their owner's desk. Heck, they were even cuddling. Now, why couldn't the owners take a hint from their partners?

After a while, they both recovered and stayed quite the whole review day. It was a normal day, like no other. There are only two more days left in their ninja academy days. They can finally graduate and become gennin.

"For whoever passes, will be put into teams of 3." Iruka-sensei explained. Some students started whispering amongst themselves. "I will handpick the teams, and there is no switching. If you don't like your teammate, get used to it! You'll be with them for a long time to come." Iruka-sensei seemed to have looked directly at Kaira and Kiba, who glared at one another.

_If he's in my squad, _Kaira thought.

_If she's in my squad, _Kiba thought.

_I'll kill him [her]! _They thought in unison.

"Class is dismissed, I will see you all tomorrow." He said, right as students darted out the door. Kaira leaned back in her seat and directed her attention towards Mei.

"Well, you ready to go home, Akamaru?" Kiba's voice made Kaira on edge again. She was doing good ignoring him, but he just had to open his mouth, didn't he? Akamaru barked as he jumped on Kiba's head. _Only two more days of this torture of sitting by a Nekoosa._ Kiba thought as he past Kaira. Kaira looked at his back and glared, sending a killed aura again. She somewhat picked up on his thoughts.

"Kaira, are you ready to go home?" Asked her childhood friend, Sasuke Uchiha. Kaira jumped and turned forward. Behind Sasuke was his many fangirls, but they all are used to Sasuke and Kaira walking home together. At first, they wanted to claw out Kaira's eyes, but now, they just want to pull out her hair. Sort of an improvement, right?

"Hey, Sasuke, I need to go grocery shopping, mind helping me?" Kaira asked, smiling sweetly, making sure Sasuke couldn't say no. He made a face, but eventually gave in.

"I'll help you." He said monotonically. Kaira cheered and clapped her hands together as they walked out of the academy together. "Kaira, I can't believe you got into a fight today." Sasuke shook his head, showing he was disappointed.

"Oh yeah!" Kaira giggled. "Thanks for helping me." Kaira added sarcastically and darkly.

"It seemed like you were doing good." Sasuke shrugged it off.

"Oh, reeeeally?" She sang. "Or was it that dear ol' Sasuke didn't want to get into trouble?" Kaira teased. Sasuke glared at her, but she ignored it. "I guess Sasuke doesn't care enough about me to help me in a fight." Kaira shrugged like it was surprising. Sasuke made a fist and pushed Kaira lightly against the nearest tree.

"No!" Sasuke fought. She leaned against it and watched Sasuke's face display numerous emotions; all weren't new to her.

"Nya." Mei meowed, rubbing against Sasuke's leg. He looked down at Mei and Kaira slipped away and appeared behind him again. She is really fast for her age. Kaira bent down and picked up Mei and held her in her arms.

"Why do you get angry at me for not helping when Mei didn't help either?" Sasuke mumbled. Kaira glared at Sasuke.

"Excuse you, Mei is my partner, she doesn't need to help me out. That's what you're there for, but noooo, you don't care." Kaira snarled. Sasuke got ready to push her again, but she starting running.

"Kaira!" Sasuke yelled, getting impatient with her. She kept running, but went slow enough for him to be able to almost catch up to her; almost.

"Should we let him run some more as his punishment?" Kaira asked Mei, who meowed cheerfully. How does Kaira know that Sasuke will chase her no matter what? Easy. He won't give up, especially when it comes to Kaira. What could that mean, hmm?

"Nya." Mei meowed.

"You're right, Mei, that'd be awesome if Sasuke and I got chosen for the same squad." Kaira responded to her cohort right away. "But, I doubt it."

"Meoww."

Kaira blushed and lost her balance and stumbled down a hill. Sasuke stopped when he saw his friend tumbling down. He wanted to help, but he couldn't help her when he's trying to stifle a laugh.

When she reached the bottom, she quickly sat up from embarrassment and saw that Mei was walking down towards her. As soon as Kaira started falling, Mei jumped out of her arms.

"Mei, I am NOT hoping for that!" Kaira yelled, crossing her arms and pouting at her kitty. Sasuke then jumped down and joined them.

"Kaira," Sasuke covered his mouth. "Are you alright?" He asked, making an amused face. Kaira wore a blank face as she stared at her friend.

"Just laugh already." She ordered. He cracked a smile, but didn't laugh. Kaira looked back at Mei and she blushed and looked away. "L-Let's just go. We're here." Kaira muttered. The hill Kaira fell from was the last stretch to the main part of town. She stood up and dusted off her black capris. Her purple shirt was ruffled from the fall so she straightened it out and took a deep breath. Mei jumped in Kaira's arms again and they all started off.

"Do you think you'll pass the academy test?" Sasuke asked. Kaira smirked confidently.

"Of course, it doesn't seem like it'll be that difficult." Kaira laughed. "I'll be a gennin in no time!"

"But then there's squads to worry about." Sasuke added. "You get along with everyone, but Kiba. Iruka-sensei will probably put you two in a squad to force you two to get along." Kaira glanced down at Mei, who seemed to be enjoying this chat. "How would you cope with that?"

"Easy." Kaira smiled. "I'll kill him."

They both stopped when they reached the main part of town that was bustling with activity and shopping.

"Kaira, you can't kill your own teammate." Sasuke shrugged. "You're hopeless." Kaira rolled her eyes and walked over to the flower shop. They both walked in and she went straight to the purple flowers and bent down to smell them.

"I actually don't have a problem with Kiba." Kaira mumbled, closing her eyes. Sasuke looked down at her. "Most of the time, he starts it, so I join it. It actually feels like we're fighting just for show." She opened her eyes and picked a flower and handed it to Sasuke.

"…" He looked at the flower and she shoved it in his face.

"Just kidding!" Kaira laughed and skipped around him. "Got ya!" She ran to the cash register and paid for the flower before darting out of the shop, leaving Sasuke alone. She looked down at Mei.

"Nya."

"I know, but I doubt he'd believe me. He probably thought I was kidding, so I just said I was." She yawned. "Eh? Where is he?" Kaira turned around and saw Sasuke still in the shop, being talked to. He just turned away. "Oops, I forgot Ino's family owns the flower shop." She looked down at Mei again. "Should we save him, or leave him?"

"Nya."

"Right, leave him." She twirled around on the heel on her foot and looked at all the shops. "We're running out of milk." Kaira noted, walking towards the grocery store.

* * *

"Ah! Nothing beats shopping after a long day." Kaira cheered, holding up her many bags from town. Her, Sasuke, and Mei were going back to Kaira's house to unload everything. She started off buying groceries, but she saw some plushies and she lost it. Then when she ran out of money, she just used Sasuke's. That's what friends are for!

"You overindulged." Sasuke said in a bored voice. He was carrying most of the heavy bags.

"I didn't know you knew big words, Sasuke." Kaira mused. Sasuke fought back the feeling to glare at her. She put up her fist, carrying a bag and smiled at him. "Friendship!"

"I don't do that." Sasuke uttered. Kaira glared and her aura was back. He fist pumped her and her aura was rainbows and unicorns again. To the average person, they seem like opposites, and most people probably wonder, how did those two ever become friends? Long story short, they met when they were different than they are now.

They were already almost to Kaira' house. "Ah, what should we do when we get home, Mei?" Kaira asked in a cheery tone. Mei meowed thoughtfully. "What are you gonna do, Sasuke?"

"Train." He put it short and sweet. Kaira cocked her head to the side and looked up at the sky. They clouds were moving pretty slow today.

"As always." Kaira confirmed.

"You should too, Kaira. I've never seen you train for a whole month now." Sasuke ranted. "If you don't train you'll fail."

"I've been busy lately." Kaira shrugged.

"Doing what?"

"Well, I, uh- you see…" Kaira tried, but Sasuke shook his head. Kaira pouted and felt the cool breeze hit her face.

"Hey, Kaira?"

"What." Kaira was getting tired of Sasuke's nagging and his boredness and emoness now. When he didn't respond, Kaira looked at him and he stopped walking. "What?" She walked back to him and Mei meowed something that made Kaira flinched. She didn't want to believe it, but Sasuke was pointing towards the direction of her house. She turned and saw her house…and Kiba sitting on her doorstep. He was petting Akamaru and muttering things to him.

"Why is he here?" Sasuke barked. Kaira made a face at Kiba, before turning back towards Sasuke.

"I have no clue." She mumbled.

"You can see the scratch you left on his cheek."

Kaira looked at Kiba again and saw the same thin line from this morning. The blood was wiped away, so you could see it perfectly. Then she didn't noticed she was staring at him.

"Here." Sasuke said, breaking her staring contest with the side of Kiba's head. She looked at Sasuke and he handed her the bags he was holding.

"T-Thanks." She huffed. "Have fun, training then." She sighed. Sasuke waved before turning the other way and walking off. Sasuke understood that Kaira and Kiba needed to talk about things, such as their rivalry, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave each other alone. What if someone got injured? Hopefully it would be Kiba more than Kaira. Wait, that's not a good thing to think!

"Umm." Kaira said, walking towards Kiba. He quickly shot his head up and saw her walking towards him. "Hi." She said, not knowing what else to say. He stood up and held Akamaru in his arms, like how Kaira held Mei before.

"Hey, Kaira."


	2. Team 9

**Here's chapter 2!  
I'd like to thank Lust-after-the-llama and Adzumiii for reviewing chapter 1 and wanting more^^  
Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Kaira Nekoosa, Mei, and Team 9 ^^;**

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"Why are you here?" Kaira asked, wondering how he knew where she lived. Kiba opened his mouth to speak, but noticed Kaira carrying a lot of bags, so he ran over to her.

"Need help with that?" Kiba asked, pointing down at the bags.

_I'd rather die than ask for help from an Inuzuka._ Kaira thought, but painted a smile at him. "If you want to." She said. He took most of the bags and walked with her to her house.

"Oh, and I'm here because my mom dropped me off here." Kiba sighed like it was a lot of trouble. Kaira opened her door and walked straight to her kitchen.

"Is that so? How nice of her." Kaira said through her teeth.

"I know, I'd do anything rather than being inside a cat's house." Kiba shrugged, not meaning to make Kaira angry. I guess it just comes naturally for him. "She saw the scratch on my cheek." He finally said when they put the bags on her table. "Actually, Iruka-sensei told her about our fight in class today." Kiba muttered.

"Oh, do you want anything to drink?" Kaira randomly asked. Kiba gave her a confused look. The whole time he was talking, she was wondering what you usually do when someone you don't like is a guest at your house, but she ended up treating him like a regular guest. She cocked her head to the side, when he didn't answer. "Were you talking?"

"Ruff!" Akamaru barked, startling Kaira. Kiba pointed at her and started laughing.

"Shut it, dog." Kaira snarled.

"As I was saying…"

"Don't ignore me!" Kaira made a fist, ready to swing it at him, but…

"Point is, they want us to make a pact." Kiba cut her off and she let her fist go and stared, dumbfounded, at him. "Do you know what a pact is?" He talked to her like she was a child.

"Yes I do!" She rolled her eyes and bent down and looked at Akamaru, who was wagging his tail at her. She held out her hand and he sniffed it and barked lightly. "What do you think, Akamaru?" Kiba was on edge, watching his enemy touch this precious Akamaru. "A pact…"

"Mom wasn't pleased when she found out that you gave me this cut." Kiba added, touching his cheek and recalling how his mom yelled at him and told him that next time a cat tries to scratch him, to just knock her out. Then a few minutes later how she yelled at him for getting into a fight and to never fight with an alley again.

"I can agree to it as long as you are no where near me." Kaira smiled and Kiba swore he saw flowers surrounding her. "Unless we're in the same squad like we're expected to be."

"Expected?" Kiba repeated, drawing attention to Kaira's slip. _So she talks about me when I'm not around. _"By who?"

"Oh! Uh…" She started blushing from embarrassment and picked up Akamaru and petted him vigorously, "I'll agree to the pact!" Kaira rushed out.

"You agree?" Kiba asked, making sure she wasn't doing it in jest. "All the pact is showing we won't physically fight again."

"Doesn't sound too hard." Kaira said, her head spinning for some reason. "As long as I can verbally insult you daily, it's all good."

"Hey, um, your stomach, is it okay?" Kiba asked, putting his hand behind his head.

"That was a lame pact, you know?" Kaira half-smiled.

"Stomach." Kiba repeated.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine." Kaira tried.

"You don't look so well." Kiba stated.

"Meoww." Mei budded in, rubbing against Kiba's leg. Kiba smiled down at Mei. He has no problem with her, just her owner.

"I think I'm suffocating." Kaira huffed, falling to her knees and letting Akamaru down. He faced her a whimpered. Kiba ran over to her and bent down towards her.

"Kaira!" Kiba said her name so smoothly and naturally. She was shocked by the worry in his tone.

"I'm suffocating from dogs, can you get out?" Kaira ruined their first touching moment. Kiba glared down at her and picked up Akamaru.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." Kiba said, walking for the door. He opened the door and looked back into the kitchen. "See you tomorrow, Kaira." Then he shut the door and left. Kaira didn't hear him because she was busy looking at Mei. After hearing the door close, Kaira sat up on the floor and stretched.

"A pact, huh." Kaira muttered, staring at the floor. "Our first, and last physical fight…" She smiled and felt warm. Then she stood up and slammed her fist on the table, "Well, that sucks!"

"Meow?"

"I was hoping to knock some more sense into him." Kaira said in a angry manner. "Oh well, nothing to do now." She shrugged and started unloading her groceries.

"Meow!"

"I know your opinion, Mei." Kaira turned away from her cat and took out a bowl. "Here, why don't you have some milk?"

**.:The Next Day:.**

The next day was like and unlike many other. First off, Kaira and Mei was to school extra earlier, which is like other days, but a bit strange since it's the final two days, so many students start slacking about this time around.

Then, when Kiba and Akamaru came, Kaira stayed silent and so did Kiba, so this is their first day without fighting and it went by totally noticed, so of course, Iruka-sensei drew attention to them and made the whole class give them a round of applause, like it wasn't fuel on the fire.

As conclusion for the day, the students were quizzed in a separate room and if they passed, they get their headband and were officially a genin! Of course, Kaira had no problem with the test and she got her headband. Most all of the class passed, so Iruka told them the next day they would be put into squads, and dismissed the class, but not before looking at the calm Kaira and Kiba.

**.:The Next Day:.**

The day started off all well, like yesterday, but Kaira and Kiba were tired of not talking, er, insulting one another, so they finally gave in.

"Why would you put your headband around your waist?" Kiba mocked her. Kaira looked down at her waist before reaching across and flicking his shiny headband on his forehead.

"At least I didn't shine my new headband. Too happy?" Kaira teased.

"At least my headband is on my forehead! Real ninjas wear it on their foreheads!" Kiba fought. Kaira laughed and signaled to their classmates, such as Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, and others.

"They aren't wearing it on their forehead. Are you insulting them as well?" Kaira smirked. Their classmates were thankful that today was the last day of all this fighting… hopefully.

"No, just you, cuz you look funny wearing one." Kiba grinned. Then they clashed again.

"Alright, class, for today, I will just announce the squads, then your parents are free to come and celebrate with you during lunch, but after lunch you will have to meet up with your squads and spend time bonding with your new teammates and new sensei." Iruka-sensei said, taking out a piece of paper. "I will now read the squads…" Everyone in the room was anxious to hear about their squads.

"Don't hold your squad down, cat." Kiba whispered to Kaira when Iruka started naming people in their class.

"Like heck I will." Kaira spat back. "Just make sure your squad doesn't get in the way of my squad." Kiba and Kaira shared a nice, long glare, seeing as this is the end of them sitting next to one another. Finally, they both turned away and directed their attention to Iruka-sensei.

"Squad 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Kaira perked up when she heard Sasuke's name. That means she won't be in a squad with him…

"Squad 8: Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."

Kaira quickly turned to Kiba just in time to see him smirk. Kiba then petted Akamaru and Kaira looked down. She was expected to be paired with Kiba, and if not, Kiba, then surely Sasuke. She was somewhat sad to not be in a squad with not only Sasuke, but Kiba too.

"Squad 9: Kaira Nekoosa," Kaira shot her head up to Iruka-sensei and she leaned forward, "Kimiko Kazumi, and Zai Kazumi."

"You're kidding!" A blonde girl in the front stood up. Iruka-sensei stopped reading his list and looked at the girl.

"Kimiko…" Iruka started. Oh, so the girl was Kaira's teammate, Kimiko Kazumi.

"Why am I with Zai in a squad! I'm with him everyday at home!" Kimiko whined. Then the person sitting next to her pulled her down and sighed.

"Kimi, quit complaining, at least you know your team…" The boy said.

"But, Shika-"

"Squad 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chouji Akimichi "

"Congrats, Shika, you're in a squad." Kimi cheered, patting the boy next to her, Shikamaru, on the back.

"That is the last of the squads, so please remember to meet up with your teammates after lunch and your team leaders, will meet up with you after awhile. I hope you all become successful ninja." Then Iruka left the room. Maybe to go cry? Neh, oh well.

"Meow."

"You ready to go eat, Mei? I'm hungry." Kaira said. She looked over at Kiba, who was petting Akamaru and smiling like crazy. "I guess this is the last time I'll be sitting by you, dog." Kaira said stubbornly. Kiba directed his attention towards her.

"I guess it will be." Kiba agreed. "Well, next time we meet, we'll be full ninjas." He said, looking around nervously. Kaira looked away. They were both wondering of ways to say bye. Wave? Too simple. Shake hands? No. Hug? Heck no.

"Hello~!" yelled a loud, annoying-ish voice, breaking their contact. The voice also hit Kaira's back, making Kaira tumbled forward and landing in Kiba's chest. Both of them took awhile to figure out their position, but when they did, they jumped away from each other so fast they couldn't be human. Then both their faces were redder than they ever were since they've been alive. Kimiko, the girl who pushed Kaira, playfully watched the two and smirked, her mind wondering.

"Uhm…" Kiba started. "Bye." He waved and quickly walked past her, she nodded and turned around after she made sure he was gone.

"I'm Kimiko Kazumi, but mostly everyone calls me Kimi; I'm your new teammate." Kimi giggled.

"N-Nice to meet you, Kimi. I'm-"

"Kaira Nekoosa, of the Nekoosa clan. It's a pleasure to meet you." Kimi smiled sweetly. "So tell me, you and Kiba, huh?" Kaira jumped and shook her head. "Hmm? I always found it strange that the two of you fight everyday."

"Kimi, don't pick on the poor girl." Her brother said, walking over to them. "My name is Zai Kazumi, Kimiko's older brother." Zai and Kimiko looked nothing alike, except maybe their eyes, but even those were different colors. Zai had shaggy black hair and light blue eyes that seemed almost white, whereas, Kimiko had long blonde hair that she put in pigtails, tied with blueish-purple ribbons, and bright green eyes.

"Older brother by two and a half minutes!" Kimiko growled. "Don't mind Zai, he's not the sharpest tool in the place where you keep tools." Kaira tried to smile. This was her new team?


	3. Dear, Sweet Mei

Kimiko and Zai continued to bicker as Kaira took a deep breath and looked down at Mei hopelessly.

"Meow." Mei said in a cute manner. Kimiko and Zai both looked over at Mei, who jumped up on the desk.

"Aww! What an adorable kitty." Kimiko squealed, hurrying towards Mei and petting her. "Is this your companion from the Nekoosa clan? What's her name?"

"Mei." Kaira simply said.

"Why did you name her that?" Zai asked, crossing his arms and walking towards his fellow teammates and watching his little sister pet Mei like crazy.

"When she was a baby, she was a dark purple-ish color, like a plum. That was back when I was obsessed with fruit, too, so…" Kaira explained, feeling embarrassed about the story. Kimiko finally picked up Mei and turned towards her squad.

"Hey, let's go eat, I'm hungry, and I'm sure Mei is too!" Kimiko cheered, smiling down at Mei, who meowed her agreement. Kaira and Zai looked at one another.

"What would you like to eat, Kaira?" Zai asked.

"I'm good with just about anything." Kaira shrugged.

"Well, Mei and I want some meat! Maybe some chicken or pork!" Kimiko busted. Her teammates sighed.

"Shouldn't you two be meeting with your parents soon, like the other kids?" Kaira finally asked.

"Nope, our mom is busy working and our dad is out on a mission in a different village." Zai said like it was nothing new. Most kids would be heartbroken if their parents didn't make it to their 'graduation,' well… kids with parents, at least. "What about you?" Kaira jumped and turned away from them. Kimiko noticed Kaira's uncomfortableness.

"Hey, Zai!" Kimiko called, trying to divert his attention, "Buy us lunch, now! I feel like I'm going to faint from starvation."

"That's why you should have eaten breakfast this morning." Zai sighed, putting his hand on his forehead.

"No way; I'd never eat something you cook." Kimiko fought, sticking out her tongue.

"I made a simple recipe: fried eggs."

"Yeah? Well, fried eggs aren't supposed to be green!"

"Meow." Mei added, making the siblings calm again. Mei seems to be able to calm everyone down by just meowing.

"Mei's hungry." Kaira explained. Zai and Kimiko backed away from each other and looked down at Mei, the same time Kimiko's stomach growled.

"M-Me too…" Kimiko shyly added.

"You're hopeless, Kimiko." Zai uttered. Kimiko glared at Zai when he turned away from her. Then the newly formed Team 9 started out the Academy to find something to eat.

**.:One Hour Later:.**

Team 9 was walking back to the Academy, to meet up with their team leader, along with all the other squads. They noticed other new teams walking behind and in front of them, but none of these squads were filled with people they knew.

They finally walked into their old classroom and saw only a few squads left, such as, Sasuke's, Kiba's, and Shikamaru's.

"Sasuke!" Kaira chanted, running over to him and taking a seat next to him. His team, Sakura and Naruto eyed Kaira like she was crazy for doing that. Sasuke glanced at her before turning towards her. Then Kaira started telling him stories about her lunch with her new, not-so-smart squad.

Kimiko and Zai shrugged it off and took a seat by Shikamaru's squad. "Heyy, Shika!" Kimiko sing-songed. "I felt like I haven't seen you in forever!"

"It's only been an hour, Kimi." Shikamaru said plainly. Kimi then nudged Shikamaru playfully as she smiled. "What are you doing?" Kimiko giggled and touched his headband, on his arm. "Uh?" Then, out of nowhere, she hit his head and he slouched forward.

"Ah! What a useless teammate…" Ino sighed, putting her hands in her head. "Kimi, why'd you do that?"

"He wasn't expecting it." Kimi giggled at her success.

"Kimiko likes surprising people." Zai explained, glancing at Ino; Ino leaned back and crossed her arms. Shika sat back up and gave Kimi a look that was part glare, but was his normal, bored look. Then he leaned over towards her and put his hands up to grab her, but she grabbed his arms and held him back.

"Oops." Kimi giggled again.

"Kimi!" Shikamaru said through closed teeth.

"…and then, when we got our food, Kimi threw her food at Zai's face! He had jelly all over." Kaira laughed, hitting the desk like her story was so funny. Sasuke just stared at her with a straight face. Kaira put her arm over him and smiled. Sakura and Naruto then became jealous. Sakura, of Kaira; Naruto, of Sasuke. "Sasuke, you're such a downer, sometimes." Kaira said, pulling away from him. Then she felt the radiates of a glare, so she followed the feeling and her purple eyes landed on black ones. Kiba. He was glaring at her from across the room. He was sitting with his team as well, Shino and Hinata. Hinata was holding Akamaru and petting him while he slept on her lap.

Unknown to them, Zai was watching and studying Kiba, wondering what he would do after he stopped glaring at Kaira.

Kaira simply glared back and turned back towards Sasuke. Kiba made a fist and Zai wondered if Kiba was jealous. Maybe he was just jealous because they were enemies, yet, Kaira was totally ignoring him. Yeah, that had to be it, right?

The door opened and in walked two adults. One was a lady with black hair and red eyes, and the other was a man, with blueish-grey hair and dark eyes.

"Squad 10." The man said. "My name is Asuma Sarutobi." He introduced himself. Shikamaru and Kimi released each other from their tiny fight as Ino and Chouji made their way over to their new sensei. Shikamaru followed behind them slowly.

"I'm here from Squad 8; my name is Kurenai Yuhi." The lady said. Hinata looked at her teammates shyly and followed Shino when he walked towards their sensei. Kaira looked at Kiba, and they shared a long, neutral look before Kiba got up and went with his squad.

"Kaira." Sasuke said, breaking Kaira's thoughts about Kiba.

"Oh, huh?" She said, clearly not focused.

"You were distracted." Sasuke stated the obvious.

"Staring at Kiba?" Kimiko asked, her and Zai appearing before Kaira and Sasuke. Kaira jumped and quickly turned to glare at Kimiko.

"No, I wasn't." Kaira hissed.

"Ah, he's so late." Naruto said out of nowhere. Everyone in the room turned towards him and he walked up to the chalkboard and grabbed the eraser.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked. Kaira yawned and leaned over the desk as she watching Naruto put the eraser over the door.

"That's what he gets for being to late." Naruto laughed.

"Heyy," Kaira slurred. Naruto looked at her and she banged on the desk for no reason, "What if our sensei comes in?" Kaira asked. Naruto flinched at Kaira's scary aura. Kimiko playfully hit Kaira's head and giggled.

"Oh well!" Kimi said, balancing Kaira's aura with her own happy aura. Right after that, the door opened and a man with grey hair popped his head in and the eraser fell on him. Naruto and Kimiko laughed at him and he turned towards them.

"What a stupid, old man!" laughed a voice from behind the door. The voice pushed the previous man out of the way and in walked a tall lady with long grey hair, matching the man's, but her eyes were turquoise, whereas, his was black. He walked in after the girl and he had on a mask covering one of his eyes. "Hey! My name is Shizuka Hatake and I'm here for Squad 9." She said in a voice as smooth as velvet, but as sharp as a thousand knives. Kaira quickly sat up, taking a quick liking to her new sensei. Mei stretched out before following Kaira to Shizuka. "This is my older brother, Hatake Kakashi." Shizuka introduced her big brother, who was hit by the eraser. Kimi and Zai exchange looks of fear; their sensei looked beautiful, but she seemed scary. Kinda like Kaira. Wait… The twins looked at Shizuka-sensei and Kaira standing next to each other.

"Zai, we'll surely die if we enter that squad!" Kimi whispered. Zai nodded quickly as both took a step back.

Shizuka and Kaira smiled at them and it made Kimi and Zai's fear grow. "Are you two shy?" Shizuka asked. The Kazumi's shook their head. Kaira walked over to them, grabbed them, and followed Shizuka-sensei out the door, leaving Team 7 behind.


	4. Mind Reader and Sibling Love

"Let's introduce ourselves!" Shizuka said. She took them to outside the Academy, and right now they're sitting on the grass, under the trees.

"My name is Kimiko Kazumi." Kimiko simply said.

"I'm Zai Kazumi." Zai murmured.

"My name is Kaira Nekoosa, and this is Mei." Kaira introduced herself and Mei, who meowed after her name was said.

"Nice to meet you all. As I said before at the Academy, my name is Shizuka Hatake, but call me Shizuka-sensei." Shizuka said. Her squad just gave her a confused look.

_There's no way this is the same lady from the Academy…_ Kimiko thought. Shizuka sent out an aura of death and decay at the academy, but here, sitting by the trees, she was all smiles and had a gentle aura.

"Right, whenever I'm around my brother, I tend to… how do I say it? Well, I guess you could just say I turn mean when I'm around him." Shizuka smiled more. "Oh, was that what you were wondering?" Shizuka asked. Kimiko nodded, but didn't utter a sound. "People always accuse me of reading minds." Shizuka laughed lightly.

"Ah, read Zai's mind!" Kimiko said, glancing at Zai who was secretly looking at Kaira. Shizuka nodded and looked at Zai, who was too busy to noticed anything. Kimiko leaned towards Zai, waiting to hear Shizuka-sensei. Kaira leaned back when she noticed Zai's attention.

"Umm…" Kaira muttered, trying to shake off his gaze.

"Zai is thinking that Kaira looks beautiful under the shade of the trees." Shizuka-sensei finally said. Zai jumped and turned towards Kimiko and Shizuka's laughing. He wore a light blush. Kaira jumped and looked down at the ground. "Onto a more serious matter!" Kimiko came to hush. She really liked Shizuka-sensei after that. "I'd like to hear about your fighting style." She looked at Kimiko to start it off.

"Oh, um, well…" Kimiko looked around.

"Kimiko doesn't know her fighting style yet." Zai interrupted her. Shizuka stared at Kimiko, who sighed. "She always uses the element of surprise though." Then Zai nodded at Kimiko.

"Right, I don't know my fighting style yet, but I like to surprise my opponents. I like being unpredictable." Kimiko explained. Shizuka then nodded her approval.

"A good trait to have." Shizuka-sensei complimented. Then Shizuka-sensei looked over at Zai.

"I like to use weapons, such as kunais and shurikans." Zai closed his eyes, trying to focus. "I also gather data on my opponent-"

"But Zai isn't so smart, so he's not really sure what to do with the data." Kimiko inserted. Zai glanced at his sister who gave him a peace sign.

"True, but I don't many other jutsu besides the ones they taught us to be able to pass at the Academy." Zai finished. Shizuka put her hand over her chin and her gaze changed to Kaira.

"Oh, um, I attack with Mei." Kaira murmured, scared to tell Shizuka about how she and Mei hardly ever practice, so they don't know much jutsu regarding the Nekoosa clan's special ones.

"I heard the Nekoosa clan has some pretty amazing jutsu, do you know any of them?" Shizuka-sensei asked, her gaze turning intent on Kaira. Kimiko and Zai looked back at Kaira, waiting for her answer.

"I'm sorry, I don't." Kaira admitted. Shizuka then stood up and her look at them looked like she was disappointed, but then she surprised them by smiling.

"It seems my team needs some serious training if you wish to advance to more serious ninjas." Shizuka lectured. "I'm looking forward to this; we're going to the training grounds today, and tomorrow, we'll start training." All the kids looked at each other. "Well, follow me." Shizuka said before disappearing.

"Where'd she go!" Kimiko asked, jumping up and looking around.

"She tells us to follow her, but she just disappears." Zai shook his head, also standing up. Kaira looked down at Mei and they met eyes.

"We'll have to run to keep up with her." Kaira explained, standing up with Mei by her side. Kimiko, on her right side, looked back at her. Zai, on her left side, smirked down at the ground.

**.:Few Minutes Later:.**

The new genin laid on the ground, panting their little hearts away. Shizuka-sensei just put her hand on her hips and waited for them to recover.

"That run wasn't even that long." Shizuka sighed, disappointed that her team couldn't run to save their lives. "You'll need more stamina, I see." Shizuka shook her head, imaging the hard training these kids will have to endure to be able to reach Jounin status.

"R-Right." Kaira huffed, making an attempt to stand up.

_Hmm, this girl is the first to try and get up even though she's dead tired._ Shizuka-sensei thought, watching Kaira stumbling around. Mei tried to help Kaira stay standing. "Listen up, this is our training ground, don't forget where it is. You wouldn't want to run into another team's training ground."

"Will…they…attack us?" Kimiko asked, sitting up slowly.

"Of course not, but I'm just saying." Shizuka laughed at her gullible team. Zai soon sat up next to his sister. "Just get used to the area here, then tomorrow, we'll meet here and start our training." Shizuka said, walking around in the tall grass. "For instance, this tall grass will be a great place to plan a weapon." She kicked the grass.

They all cooled off and didn't feel so tired anymore.

"If I approve of your first day of training, we can get a mission the day after, but that's only an if." Shizuka smirked. "Now when you're done checking out the area, you may go home. Not such a long session, now is it? I'll be expecting you all here at 9 o'clock, sharp." She smiled as Kimiko and Zai stood up next to Kaira. "Until tomorrow." Shizuka twirled around and winked at her team before disappearing.

"S-She stole my move." Kimiko ranted. Zai looked at his sister and rolled his eyes. "Seriously! She read my mind and stuff!" Kimiko went on, pointing at her head. "I was thinking that'll be my new greeting and leaving sign." Kimiko shook her head, obviously outraged.

"I'm sure you can come up with another one." Kaira tried, facing her team.

"It took me awhile to come up with that…" Kimiko sighed, looking at the ground, defeated.

"Meoww."

"Mei's right, we have to check out this area." Kaira nodded with Mei.

"Maybe Shizuka set up a trap for us…" Zai offered.

"She's wouldn't; not on the first day." Kaira stood up for their sensei.

"Hey, look, Zai, it's a tree!" Kimiko cheered. Kaira and Zai both looked at Kimiko like she was crazy. "Hey! A leaf is falling out of the tree!"

"Kimiko…" Zai uttered.

"I'm studying our surroundings!" Kimiko pouted. "There's a tree with loose leafs here." She concluded.

"Thanks, Kimiko, so helpful." Zai replied sarcastically. "There's a field of tall grass here as well."

"And a pond, maybe to be used for water jutsu." Kaira guessed. Kimiko ran over to the pond and kicked it.

"Water is so pretty!" Kimiko giggled, kicking it more. "Let's go swimming!" Kimiko then said, grabbing the closest thing to her, which was Kaira, and jumped. Thankfully, Zai grabbed Kaira from Kimiko's hands within the nick of time. He pulled her close to him as he saved her. Kimiko made a splash and Mei hissed as water landed near her. Kimiko's head bobbed up as she turned to her teammates. "What gives, Zai!" She yelled.

"Kimiko, are you insane or something!" Zai roared, still holding Kaira. "Cats don't like water." Kimiko floated in the water for some time now.

"Oh…. Right." She agreed after a few minutes. Kaira finally pulled away from Zai and huffed from him almost suffocating her.

"Are you okay, Kaira?" Zai asked, watching her stagger away.

"Yeah, thanks, Zai." Kaira said, wavering her hand in the arm at him with her back to him. Mei trotted over to follow her owner. They all continued to looked around their training area, well, except for Kimiko, who splashed around in the water until it was time to go. "Well, I'm going home." Kaira said, after about 30 minutes. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Bye, Kaira~!" Kimiko sang.

"See you." Zai said before Kaira started going home with Mei following her.

**.:Few Minutes Later:.**

"Tomorrow is our first day of practice, Mei." Kaira said, slowing down to a walk when they entered their neighborhood.

"Meow."

"Shizuka-sensei seems to be strong; I'm sure she'll teach us a lot of things." Kaira chuckled silently. They took the last turn to their house and ran right into somebody. Kaira fell back, but was caught just in time. The person's hand wrapped around her waist and helped her to keep balance. "Oh, h-hi, Sasuke." Kaira uttered, blushing from looking directly into Sasuke's eyes while he held her like that.

"Sorry, Kaira, I didn't see you." Sasuke replied, finally letting her go. "I came here right after our practice, but you weren't here, so I waited for awhile, but I was just leaving."

"Ah, sorry to keep you waiting." Kaira muttered. They walked over to Kaira's house and she opened the door. "So, how was your first practice with your team?" He gave Kaira a look that meant it wasn't very good.

"Our sensei told us to meet him at our training grounds tomorrow." Sasuke shrugged, walking into her kitchen and grabbing an apple.

"Ours did too, but I like my squad, they're pretty fun to be around." Kaira smiled, jumping onto the couch in the living room and petting Mei. Sasuke sat across from her as he started eating. "I think I can rely on them."

"That's good, I don't want you ending up dead." Sasuke nodded. She smiled at him, and he just glanced at her.

"You can sure brighten the mood, can't you?" She laughed sarcastically. He shrugged again. "Do you like your team?" He gave her that look again. "I-I see. Well, you'll be with them for a long time, so they'll grow on you, I'm sure."

"I'd rather be in a squad with Kaira." Sasuke mumbled. Kaira flinched and studied him.

"I-I know what you mean, we work well together, huh?" She guessed. He shook his head once. Then his dark eyes met hers and she sat there, frozen.

"That's not what I mean, Kaira." He said. Then they just sat there, eyeing each other.

"Meoww." Mei broke their gaze and Kaira quickly looked down at her. She felt her blush return.

"I bet you're hungry, Mei." Kaira avoided looking at Sasuke again. Kaira picked up Mei and they walked into the kitchen. She prepared Mei's food as Sasuke looked around her living room. It had many pictures hanging on the walls. Many were of Sasuke and Kaira when they were kids, one was even of Sasuke crying. Sasuke flinched when he saw the picture. Then he continued to look at her pictures. His eyes landed on one in particular that was of 8 year-old Kaira glaring at 8 year-old Kiba, who glared back. That was before Kiba had Akamaru, but you could see a tiny ball of black fur by Kaira, which was Mei.

"Kaira, where'd you get all these pictures?" Sasuke asked, throwing his apple away in the trash in the kitchen. Kaira put Mei's bowl down as she started eating.

"I took most of them, but for the ones I'm in, previous teachers took them and I simply asked for them." Kaira answered.

"Oh. Well, I understand why you'd put a picture up of us, but," Sasuke walked over to the Kiba picture and crossed his arms. "Why would you put up a picture of him?" Sasuke's voice turned dark and Kaira looked at the picture.

"It's a good memory." Kaira shrugged, not affected by Sasuke's tone. "Because after that picture was taken, I stole Kiba' lunch. His mom made him some cookies and he had a container of milk." Kaira laughed, recalling Kiba' face after she stole it. "Those cookies were delicious, plus it was my first victory over him." Kaira then smiled and Sasuke looked at the picture again. "Why?"

"Just wondering, because he's your enemy and all." Sasuke said. Kaira shrugged, but still avoided Sasuke's eyes.

"Yeah, I guess." Then she disappeared into the kitchen with Mei again.

"I'd better get home; it's getting late." Sasuke called, walking towards the door. Kaira took out some food for her dinner.

"Okay, I hope you have a great day tomorrow, Sasuke." Kaira said, preparing her own dinner. Then her door closed, meaning Sasuke was gone. Kaira twirled around and looked down at Mei, who was still eating. She shook my head down at her before twirling around and returned to making her food.

**.:The Next Day:.**

Kaira and Mei were the first to arrive at the training grounds. She arrived 15 minutes ahead of time, just in case. She didn't want to feel Shizuka's wrath on the first day of training.

"Shuddup, Zai!" Kimiko's voice was easy to recognize as the twins neared the training ground. Kaira looked up and saw Kimiko going around in circles, being chased by Zai. Well, and angry Zai.

"Give it back, Kimiko!" Zai yelled. Kaira noticed that Kimiko's blonde hair was down, and not up in pigtails like it usually was. It was pretty long, going past her hips. Zai's hair was messy, but he was missing his ninja headband that he wears on his forehead.

"Give me back my ribbons first!" Kimiko called back at him. Kaira looked down at Mei. She this is the team she relies on?

Kimiko stole Zai's headband, so Zai took his sister's precious blue ribbons. So now, they're fighting and refuse to give the other's back until they get their's back first.

"What's going on here?" Shizuka asked, appearing out of no where. Kaira jumped when she saw Shizuka. Shizuka looked up and saw Kimiko running from Zai with Kimiko holding Zai's headband up and Zai dragging Kimiko's ribbons. "Kazumi twins, get down here!" Shizuka ordered. They both got goose bumps and walked over to their sensei.

"Yes, Shizuka-sensei?" Kimiko asked like a scared little kid. Shizuka reached down and took Zai's headband from Kimiko and Kimiko's ribbons from Zai. Then she handed them to their respective owners. Kimiko cheered and quickly put them in her loose hair; Zai smiled up at Shizuka-sensei and tied his headband on his forehead.

Shizuka sighed and put her hand up to her forehead and shook her head slowly. "Okay, so now that we'll all here, we'll start our training session." Shizuka said, recovering. "I was going to fight you all, one-on-one, but it seems you need to learn teamwork."

"I wasn't fighting…" Kaira huffed.

"True, but you didn't try to stop them." Shizuka-sensei said. Kaira nodded, understanding. Kimiko and Zai glanced/glared at each other. "So, you'll all fight me at once, using teamwork. If you each can hit me five times, then you all pass, simple, right?"


	5. Attack the Teacher

**Disclaimer: I only own Kaira Nekoosa, Mei, and Team 9.**

**Okay, well I made it up to chapter 10 now! Tell me if you want more uploaded ^^  
Thank you!**

* * *

"Oh, that's it?" Kimiko asked. Shizuka smiled and nodded. "Doesn't seem too hard."

"Kimiko, remember, Shizuka-sensei is a Jounin, so don't underestimate-"

"Kay, here I come!" Kimiko cheered, taking a deep breath.

"That's not really that fast…" Zai sighed.

"Okay, then, you may start." Shizuka-sensei said, snapping her fingers and just standing there.

"Aren't you going to move?" Zai asked. Kimiko and Kaira glanced at each other. Then Kimiko lunged forward and hit Shizuka one, two, three times before Shizuka jumped away and onto a tree.

"I stood there for ten seconds, giving you all a head-start, but I guess Kimiko was the only smart one." Shizuka laughed at her team's amazed faces.

"Well, that's unfair." Zai muttered to himself as he watched Kimiko run around in circles, being a happy 'little' girl. "Teamwork, hm?"

"Hey, Kimiko, let's aim for Shizuka's legs, then we can trip her and get five free hits off of her without actually hurting her." Kaira said, whispering to Kimiko, who nodded with each word.

"You two are leaving me out!" Zai said, offended. Kaira and Kimiko then took off towards Shizuka, who was sitting down, swinging her legs.

"I don't think so." Shizuka said, making hand signs.

"She's using a jutsu." Kimiko said, watching Shizuka-sensei finish up. The girls kept running towards her though.

"Earth jutsu: *******" Shizuka said. Then instantly, rocks started levitating and the girls stopped. "I'm not holding back fully."

"Does she intend to kill us?" Kimiko asked, her blood draining from her face. Then the rocks started flying towards them. "Retreat!"

"Geez." Zai finally said, digging in his weapon bag and pulling out shurikans. As the rocks neared Kimiko and Kaira, Mei jumped over her owner and Zai threw his shurikans directly at the rocks. All the shurikans he threw hit the rocks right on and sent them flying backwards. Mei quickly ran through the shurikans and rocks colliding and climbed by the tree where Shizuka was. Shizuka noticed Mei running for her, so she jumped to another tree.

"Wow, nice job, Zai." Kimi said, patting her brother on the back. "You really have been practicing all the times you told mother you were."

"You thought I was doing something else?" Zai asked, raising his eyebrow. Kimiko smiled at her brother.

"No time to fight, Shizuka is running." Kaira said, slamming both her teammates on the shoulder and pointing at Shizuka, running through the trees. Kimiko and Zai went running after her and Kaira stopped to get Mei and they followed them. The farther and farther they got, the more lost they became.

"Uh, Kaira, what do we do now?" Kimiko asked, stopping and looking at Kaira. Zai soon stopped to wait for his teammates. Then a rock came and hit Kimiko's head. "Ow!" Kimiko whined. It was a small rock, but not small enough to not leave a bump.

"That was sensei's jutsu." Zai said, thinking more. Kaira helped Kimiko up, since Kimiko became dizzy. "It allows her to control the rocks around us, but what good will that do? I looked around the training ground and noticed that all they have there is pebbles." Kaira looked around and saw some big boulders around them. About four boulders.

"Zai, we're not in the training ground anymore." Kaira murmured, backing up closer to Zai. She noticed one of the big boulders move. "The woods have boulders."

"Do any of you know a protective jutsu?" Kimiko asked, falling to the ground. Kaira and Zai looked at one another.

"No." They said in unison.

"I've been working on one, but it's still weak." Kimiko said, watching one of the boulders being lifted into the air. "Shizuka-sensei really isn't holding back." Kimiko stood up and made some hand signs. "Earth wall." She said, touching the ground and lifting up a thick barrier to over the trees.

"Kimiko, that's not a jutsu that a regular genin should know." Zai huffed, seeing how high the wall went. They head a thump on the other side, signaling the boulder hit the wall.

"Believe me, it took some time. Dad taught me last time he was home. I've been practicing ever since." Kimiko took a heavy breath before falling back into her brother's arms. "It still takes a lot out of me."

"I didn't know Kimiko was capable of doing a jutsu like that." Shizuka-sensei said, eyeing her team from the trees. She was hiding perfectly, so they couldn't see her. "Not to mention Zai's accuracy to hit all the pebbles perfectly. Hmm, they are all stronger than I thought. Now the only one left to impress me is Kaira."

"Mei, can you track Shizuka-sensei?" Kaira asked, whispering to her while Zai and Kimiko rest.

"Meow." Mei purred before taking off. Kaira looked back at her team.

"Let's see, Kimiko." Kaira said, putting her hands over Kimiko. Kaira's hand soon started glowing purple, the color of her chakra.

"What jutsu is that?" Zai asked. Kaira smiled.

"It recovers your chakra." Kaira explained. "It's a Nekoosa jutsu." Kaira went on, seeing Kimiko getting better and better. "I learned this at a young age, whenever Mei ran out of chakra from training. Animals don't have much chakra, like us, so the Nekoosa created this jutsu, to help ours cats." Kimiko sat up when Kaira was finished. "Luckily, it works on humans too."

"I feel better." Kimiko said, amazed.

Shizuka narrowed her eyes at her team. _What an amazing jutsu. I never would have dreams the Nekoosa clan would create such a useful jutsu. She can easily heal any of us who run out of chakra. _Shizuka thought. Shizuka didn't notice Mei come us behind her. Mei quickly sent a thought to Kaira.

Kaira shot her head up and leaned over to her team. "Mei found Shizuka-sensei. Exactly at 10 o' clock from us." She whispered. "How shall we attack?" Kimiko and Zai grinned at each other before coming up with a plan with Kaira.

_Hm? What are they doing? _Shizuka thought, watching them huddle together. When they broke apart, Kimiko yawned, Kaira cracked her knuckles, and Zai stood up and looked around. Kaira crouched down and held her hands together.

Suddenly, Zai threw kunais and shurikans at Shizuka's direction and she leaned back and dodged them. But she fell back onto a fist.

"Hey, sensei." Kaira purred. Shizuka turned around, but not before she was tackled by Kaira. Kaira and Mei switched place, which worked perfectly. "That's one down, isn't it?" Shizuka and Kaira both fell from the air, but Shizuka turned out to be a log. "The tackling counts as two." Kaira said, feeling her cat ears and tail pop out and her eyes turning into slits again, like her fight with Kiba. Kaira turned around and landed on her feet, how cats can always land on their feet.

"Good job, Kaira." Zai said, him and Kimiko rushes over towards her. Kaira quickly turned and jumped into the next tree.

"Pretty good at tracking, huh?" Shizuka asked, dodging Kaira just in time. "Leaf Blade." Shizuka said, touching the tree with her palm.

"She's not taking us seriously." Zai said. Kimiko looked around for something to use. Zai took out a kunai and appeared before Shizuka and next to Kaira. Shizuka looked at both Kaira and Zai, before grabbing Zai's hand and pulling him off with her. "Wha-!" was all Zai got out before disappearing in mid-air along with Shizuka. Kaira looked around and sniffed near objects.

Mei hissed and Kimiko screamed. Kaira ran back to their little area and she saw that Mei was gone and Kimiko was laying on the ground. So Shizuka thought her best bet was to separate them.

"Kimiko was the first to hit me five times." Shizuka said, using ninjutsu on Kaira and 'appearing' out of the nearest tree. "So she's fine." She neared Kaira, who was frozen. "Kaira needs three more hits and Zai needs three." Then the ninjutsu went away and Kaira looked around.

"Meow." Mei said from far off. So Shizuka took Mei too, huh? Kaira bent down and put her hands together and concentrated.

"Cat-Companion Switch." Kaira murmured, closing her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she saw Shizuka-sensei, fighting with Zai. _This is dragging on._ Kaira thought, touching her long, silky hair then reaching her cat ears. She crouched down to the ground, making sure Shizuka-sensei didn't hear her.

Shizuka turned and threw a kunai at the tree right above Kaira's head. So, she still saw her. "You're not so sneaky, Kaira; at least, not when your mind is screaming your thoughts at me." Shizuka said. "I read your mind about the sneak attack earlier, but I let you get those two hits because you're still genin." Shizuka stuck her tongue out and reached out and grabbed Zai. She put another kunai to Zai's neck and he flinched.

"Zai…" Kaira mumbled, not knowing what to do. Mei's hiss threw everyone off. Mei jumped out of the bushes and landed on Shizuka's face. "Cat-Companion Body Switch." Kaira said, falling to the ground.

Kaira and Mei then switched bodies and Kaira was on Shizuka's face as Mei. Kaira released Mei's claws and scratched Shizuka's face. Shizuka screamed in pain and fell back on her back. Mei, in Kaira's body, got up and walked over to Shizuka. Kaira, as Mei, jumped out of the way as Mei punched Shizuka. To finish it off, Kaira, as Mei, simply hit Shizuka's shoulder with Mei's soft paw. _Release._

Kaira was back in her own body and she sat back. Zai crawled over Shizuka and put one of his kunai on her sleeve, to hold her down as he lightly hit her two times, but when he was going to hit her for the third and final time, she turned into a log.

"S-She fooled us again." Zai uttered. Then Shizuka appeared in front of them and Zai aimed his shurikans at her without even looking, or noticing her. He just sensed her and his senses were right. He hit her and she turned into a log again.

"Wow, Zai, I'd call you a cheater there." Shizuka-sensei laughed, walking out from behind a tree and towards them. Kimiko then came skipping out behind Shizuka. Didn't Kimiko faint? Maybe it was another illusion.

"That was cheating; I mean, you were able to hit Shizuka-sensei twice, but the other two times weren't fair cuz you hit 'her' after Kaira already took care of her." Kimiko shrugged. Kaira looked up at Shizuka and Kimiko.

"Nice job, Kaira; you could have killed me if it were really me." Shizuka said, inspecting the log that was now in small bits. "A strong punch."

"That was Mei." Kaira defended. "I never punch that hard." Kaira pet Mei. "I'm proud of you, Mei." Kimiko jaw dropped as she saw Mei nuzzling up to Kaira.

_That sure is a killer cat…_ Kimiko thought, still watching them.

"She doesn't really know how to hold back, she even sent a few kids to the hospital when we first switched bodies." Kaira laughed like it was nothing. Shizuka and Zai jointed in at Kimiko's amazed look.

"Well, I'm proud of you all." Shizuka said, smiling at her team. "You all pass." They all looked at one another and high fived. Zai took Kaira's free hand and helped her up. "To celebrate your officially becoming a genin team, let's go out and eat."

"Will you pay for us all?" Kimiko asked, a little skeptical.

"Yes, I'll pay. I'm not cheap like my brother." Shizuka said.

"Great, I'm starved." Zai said. "What time is it?"

"It's about dinner time." Shizuka said. All her team gasped.

"It doesn't feel like we were out here for so long." Kimiko uttered. Kaira noticed that Kimiko's hand was bandaged up; it wasn't like that before.

"Kimi, what happened to your hand?" Kaira asked. Kimiko jumped and half-smiled.

"When Kimiko and I were fighting, I stabbed her hand with a kunai." Shizuka said, half-laughing. It was Kaira's turn to jaw drop.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Kimiko shrugged it off.

"Anywho, can we go eat now?" Shizuka asked, obviously hungry. Then the whole team started off towards the village.

**.:Few Minutes Later:.**

"Where shall we eat at?" Zai asked, putting his hands behind his head. Shizuka looked at Zai, who was watching Kaira and Kimiko talk, but mostly watching Kaira.

"Zai says anywhere is fine, as long as he gets to sit by Kaira." Shizuka announced, passing him. Kimiko giggled and high fived her sensei.

"Nice one, Zai!" Kimiko teased. Zai blushed and looked away. Kaira simply ignored that comment.

"Where do you want to eat at, Kimiko?" Kaira asked, petting Mei, in her arms. Kimiko looked around the main part of Konoha with a busy atmosphere.

"Hey, look, it's team 10." Kimiko cheered, seeing Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji and their sensei, Asuma. "Shika~!" Shikamaru and his team then looked at them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Since training is finished for the day, I came here to meet Kurenai, but these guys wanted to come with me." Asuma explained, answering Kimiko on his own.

"Kurenai is coming here?" Shizuka asked, glancing at Kaira. "Is she bringing her squad?"

"I'm guessing." Asuma replied, casually. Shizuka heard that her Kaira and Kurenai's Kiba don't get along at all, but will Kaira and Kiba calm down with everybody around them? "Are you treating out your squad to dinner?"

"Yeah, they all passed with flying colors." Shizuka answered, smiling shyly.

"That's good, mine did too, and so did Kurenai's, but I wonder about all the other squads." Asuma said.

"Hey, I have to go, I'll see you tomorrow." Shikamaru said out of nowhere to his team.

"Eh? Where are you going, Shika?" Kimiko asked, grabbing his hand to hold him back from leaving.

"To help my friend train." He said shortly. Kimiko cocked her head to the side.

"You just finished training." Kimiko fought. "Which friend?" Shika looked away and pulled his hand back.

"I better get going." He said and started walking away. Kimiko pouted and crossed her arms.

"Don't mind him, he seems to be like that when asked about his friend." Ino said, putting her hand on Kimiko's shoulder. "He's going to help Yamouri Kesaki train."

"Who's that?" Zai asked, taking a step forward.

"You don't remember her? She was in our class for a little bit last year until she was taken out." Chouji said. Team 9 shook their head. "Never mind."

"So, I take it you all are going out to eat." Asuma said. Shizuka nodded her head.

"I told them I'd treat them out since they passed." She laughed.

"It's a sushi restaurant!" Kaira squealed her mouth watering, then grabbing Kimiko, who grabbed Zai. The chain ran over to the restaurant.

"I guess they know where to go." Shizuka laughed again. "I'll see you later, Asuma." She said before following her team to their first official day of being Squad 9.


	6. Kimiko's Walk

**Disclaimer: Only own Kaira Nekoosa, Mei, and Team 9**

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Kimiko skipped over to Kaira's door early in the morning. It was probably 7 o'clock, and they had practice at 10 again, so why is Kimiko up so early?

Kimiko knocked on Kaira's door and turned around to view her teammate's neighborhood.

Inside, Kaira rolled over in bed, but Mei got up and landed on the floor, walking over to the door. "Meow."

"Huh? Oh, Mei, is that you?" Kimiko asked from behind the door.

"Meow."

"Um, hey, Mei, can you open the door and let me in? It's pretty cold out here." Kimi asked, hugging herself. After a second or two, the door opened and Kimi quickly went in and closed the door behind her. "Wow, thanks, Mei, you're so smart." Kimi giggled. It's unknown how Mei opened the door, but she's able to. Kimi looked around Kaira's house after she removed her jacket and picked up Mei. "Kaira sure has a lost of pictures around her house." Kimiko stated.

"Meoww." Mei meowed, purring and rubbing against Kimiko's hand.

"We should go wake up Kaira, huh?" Kimiko asked. She walked over to the door on the back right of the house and opened it to reveal a dark room. She walked over to the bed and saw a lump and deduced that it was Kaira. "Hey, Kaira, wake up, Kaira!" Kimiko yelled, shaking Kaira. Mei jumped out of Kimiko's arms and laid on the ground.

"Urrrggh," Kaira yawned. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Kimiko. "Eh! K-Kimi, w-why are you here!" Kaira asked, quickly getting up. She looked at Mei, already knowing that Kimiko was let in by Mei.

"I came here so I can go on a walk with Kaira." Kimiko smiled.

**.:Half an Hour Later In Town:.**

_I can't believe Kimi came over to my house just so I would go on a morning walk with her._ Kaira thought, as she yawned. _We have practice in three hours, so I should be resting and regaining my strength._

"Are you annoyed that I came over and woke you up?" Kimi asked, hitting Kaira's thoughts on the nail. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, but Zai is busy training already since he was lacking yesterday."

"He's already training!" Kaira asked, amazed, since it was already early for her and they'll be training all day anyways.

"He's a freak." Kimiko concluded. "Hey, isn't that your friend?" Kimiko asked when she saw Sasuke in a store looking around like he was lost. Kaira looked up and saw him and when she did, she smiled.

"You don't mind, do you?" Kaira asked as she walked into the store. Kimiko shook her head. "Sasuke!" Kaira cheered. He looked up and saw her, smiling a bit.

"Whoa! He smiled!" Kimiko exclaimed. Sasuke's eyes drifted to Kimiko and his smile faded. _Wah! How scary; I don't understand how girls could like such a cold, cruel guy!_

"We were taking an early morning walk when Kimiko saw you." Kaira explained.

"Oh, you saw me, huh?" Sasuke asked Kimiko, who jumped from him actually talking to her. "Lemme guess, you went over to Kaira's house and woke her up and asked her to come on a walk with you."

"Amazing! How'd you know?" Kimi asked, clapping her hands together as Sasuke ran his hand through his hair. _Uh, gay?_

"Kaira never wakes up past 9 and she could never turn down an offer from one of her friends." Sasuke said, shrugging like it was obvious.

"H-Hey!" Kaira yelled.

"You're so right! Even I could tell that just by watching her react this morning." Kimi said. Kaira made a fist and shook her head before looking down at Mei.

"Meoww."

"Hey, Sasuke, you want to walk with us?" Kaira asked, trying to change the subject. Sasuke looked around the shop, making sure there wasn't anything he needed, before he agreed. They all left the shop and continued walking down the street, towards the woods. "Oh, Sasuke, how was your training yesterday? Did you pass?"

"It was good; yes, we all passed." Sasuke said.

"Really? That's great. What did Kakashi-sensei make you all do?" Kimi asked, curious to hear about another training style.

"We had to take bells from him."

"Bells?"

"That seems easy."

"Not quite, but I'd rather hear your story, Kaira." Sasuke said.

_Why only Kaira? _Kimi thought to herself as Kaira dove right into the explanation.

**.:Few Minutes Later, In The Woods:.**

_I get it. _Kimi finally concluded as Kaira's story was coming to an end. _Sasuke must-_

"Huh, Kimiko?" Kaira interrupted. Kimiko jumped like she was caught doing something bad.

"Oh, uh, huh?"

"We ate sushi last night, thanks to Shizuka-sensei." Kaira repeated.

"Oh, yeah, you should've seen Kaira, she stuffed her face to no end!" Kimiko laughed, recalling the memory. She then forgot her previous thought. "Well, you're Kaira's best friend, so you should know about her love for fish."

"Yeah." Sasuke said.

"Umm, oh hey! Shizuka-sensei said we'd get a mission today, didn't she?" Kaira asked Kimiko.

"Yeah, but she said it'd probably be an easy mission. We have two weeks to work together, she said. I wonder what she meant."

Kimiko and Kaira both shrugged. Then they all kept walking.

"Huh?" Kimiko said once they entered a clearing. She looked over to a tree and saw that two people were sitting there. "Looks like someone beat us here." Kaira looked up at the tree. "Hey! That's Shika." Kimiko finally recognized the boy sitting in the tree.

"Who's the girl next to him?" Kaira asked. Kimiko shrugged. The girl sitting next to him had brown hair tied back into a ponytail and moss green eyes. "She has a ninja headband around her neck, so…" But all the girl was doing was drawing in a notepad, while Shikamaru just watched the clouds go by. They weren't even talking.

"Shika!" Kimi called. Shikamaru and the girl both looked down and saw the three. Sasuke just crossed his arms and gave everyone an I-don't-care look.

"Oh." Shikamaru just said.

"Who's she?" Kimi asked. Shikamaru looked at the girl, who just gave him a blank face.

"I better get going, Shikamaru, thanks for giving me company." The girl said, jumping down from the tree and landing perfectly. Normally, only Kaira could land such leaps, but this girl must have worked hard for that result. The girl nodded towards Kimiko, Kaira, and Sasuke before walking past them back to the village.

"She's so cool." Kaira stated. Kimiko rolled her eyes at Kaira and Sasuke just turned away. Shikamaru then started making his way down the tree.

"Was that your friend?" Kimiko asked.

"Why are you so curious, Kimi?" Shikamaru asked. Kimiko jumped and Kaira and Sasuke glanced at each other.

"I'm just wondering." Kimi replied.

"I better get ready to meet my squad. We're meeting at 8." He said, also walking past them. "See ya later, Kimi."

"That was Yamouri Kesaki." Sasuke said when Shikamaru was out-of-sight.

"Oh, so that's who he was with last night too." Kimiko said. Kaira shrugged.

"Oh well. Hey, Sasuke, when do you meet with your squad?" Kaira asked, changing the subject, yet again.

"9."

"Does our squad start late or something?" Kaira asked, jaw dropping.

"Yeah." Sasuke said.

"Sasuke is so boring with his one word responses." Kimiko yawned. Kaira looked at Kimiko like she was crazy for saying that, but Sasuke just shrugged it off. After all, he didn't come to impress Kimiko.

"Shall we go back to the village? I need to go buy some more shurikans." Sasuke asked. Kaira looked up in the trees and nodded.

"Meow."

"What is it, Mei?" Kaira asked. Sasuke and Kimiko both looked at Mei too. Mei shook her head and Kaira shrugged. "So you ready to head back?" Sasuke and Kimiko nodded and they followed Kaira.

"Stupid cat [Kaira]." Kiba muttered under his breath, from atop the trees, watching them leave.

**.:Few Minutes Later, In Town:.**

"That was a nice little walk." Kimiko chirped, walking down the streets again.

_Little? It was such a long walk!_ Kaira thought to herself.

"It was a short walk." Sasuke agree, making Kaira seen like she was slacking. "Well, I'd better get going." He said, wandering away from them a bit. "I'll see you later, Kaira." He said before he took off.

_Why only Kaira! _Kimiko thought, unknowingly glaring at his back. "So," Kimiko stretched her arms above her head. "You and Sasuke, huh?"

Kaira jumped so high that she almost dropped Mei. Kaira then blushed lightly, but she hid it well. "Everyone thinks that, but no; we're only childhood friends."

"That's what they all say. You can tell me the truth, Kaira!" Kimiko pressed on. Kaira rolled her eyes as they continued down the street.

"I am telling you the truth, Kimi." Kaira insisted.

"Oh I get it, so I was right about the whole Kiba thought." Kimiko cheered. Kaira made a fist.

"Not that either!" Kaira roared. Kimiko ducked down to avoid her teammate's anger.

"Sure, sure, we'll see how things turn out." Kimi winked, making Kaira feeling uneasy about what Kimiko must be planning. "Hey, let's go to the bookstore!" Kimiko giggled, seeing the store within eye distance. She grabbed Kaira and pulled her along.

"Kimiko…" Kaira huffed.

When they arrived, Kimiko jumped in and Kaira slowly dragged her feet. Kaira felt her sleepiness coming back now. "I wonder if the sequel to the book I read already came out yet." Kimiko thought aloud. "Do you read, Kaira?"

Kaira groggily looked around the small store before shaking her head.

"Why not? I heard you don't train much, so if you don't train or don't read, then just what do you do?" Kimiko asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Meow."

"Oh, is that so, Mei?" Kimiko asked. "Huh!" Kimiko took a couple steps away from them. "D-Did I just understand Mei?" Kimiko asked, covering her mouth.

"It's common for people who the cat trusts." Shizuka said, walking into the store.

"Shizuka-sensei!"

"Mei must trust and like you a lot, Kimiko." Shizuka said with a smile. "Of course, it's natural for it's human companion to understand, but it's rare for an outsider to understand."

"Oh." Kimiko said, taking Mei from Kaira. "You like me, Mei?" She lifted her up in the air.

"Ah, Kimiko, Mei doesn't like that!" Kaira warned, but it was too late. Mei jumped out of Kimiko's hands, unleashed her claws and landed on Kimiko's face.

"Aaahhh!" Kimiko yelped. Kaira removed Mei and petted her. Shizuka stifled a laugh as Kimiko touched her face.

"I heard Kimiko's scream." Zai said, waving as he entered the shop. "What happened?" Kaira kept petting Mei and Shizuka went over to Kimiko.

"It was…." Kimiko started, taking her hand off her face and revealing one cut on her forehead. "All your fault, Zai!"

"Me!" Zai jumped. "I wasn't even in here when it happened!"

"You planned this, didn't you!"

"How could I plan it?"

Zai and Kimiko faced each other with an angry atmosphere surrounding them.

"So, you want to start training early?" Shizuka asked, moving towards Kaira and Mei.

"I think it'd be best." Kaira agreed.

"Okay, training everyday from 6am to 8pm. I'll need to prepare you all for the chuunin exams!" Shizuka ordered. Zai and Kimiko stopped fighting and Kaira blinked.

"6am to 8pm?" Zai exclaimed.

"Everyday?" Kimiko cried. Kaira made a confused face.

"Chuunin exam?"

All Shizuka could do was smirk.


	7. The Lost Kitty

**Disclaimer: Only Own Kaira Nekoosa, Mei, and Team 9**

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* * *

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.:One Week Later:.

"Practice is over, so, I'd like to give you tomorrow off since it's been one week since we became a team." Shizuka said, talking to Kimiko and Zai. Kaira fainted during practice, for the 3rd time his week, so she was slumped over on a nearby tree.

"Yay! Our first day off!" Kimiko cheered, throwing her hands into the air.

"And your only one." Shizuka said rather darkly. Kimiko shivered and quickly put her hands down. "So spend it relaxing because we'll always be training." Shizuka then smiled and Zai smirked and looked over to Kaira, who was still fainted. Mei was licking her and nudging her every now and then. Shizuka saw Zai looking and smiled, mockingly. "Oh, she'll be fine, Zai, don't worry too much." Shizuka said. Zai jumped and turned away. "You're planning on asking her out tomorrow, right?" Zai blushed and covered his face and Kimiko jumped.

"What!" Kimiko yelled. "No way she'd agree to that! Besides, she's out cold, no way she'll wake up tonight."

"Right, Kimiko knows the severity of Kaira's condition. She overdid herself this time." Shizuka shook her head and crossed her arms. She gazed at her student and her cat. They make the perfect duo; no one could beat them. Shizuka was sure Kaira could even beat any Inuzuka pair, even other Nekoosa pairs. "Okay, well, have a nice day." Shizuka said, disappearing within a blink of the eye.

"I don't like when sensei does that." Kimiko pouted, crossing her arms. "So, you were going to ask Kaira out, huh?" Zai jumped and stood up.

"C'mon, Kimiko, we'd better take her home." Zai said, walking over to Kaira. Mei watched Zai approaching. Kimiko made a face, seeing Zai avoid her question. Kimiko stood and skipped over to Kaira and Mei. Zai lifted Kaira up and put her left arm over him and Kimiko went to the other side and helped lift her.

"Let's take her to our house since she lives farther away." Kimiko said as they started off for home.

**.:The Next Day:.**

"Urrrggh." Kaira mumbled, rolling over in Kimiko's queen size bed. She put her arm over her forehead and looked up at the ceiling. Wait… this wasn't her ceiling. Kaira quickly sat up and looked around. _Where am I? _This wasn't even her room. Kaira got out of bed, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she fell. _What that-? I can't feel my feet._ Kaira tried to get up, but her feet wouldn't work.

"Oh, you're awake, Kaira." Kimiko said, widening the crack in the door. She came walking in, holding Mei in her arms. "Oh no, you fell!" Kimiko said. Mei jumped out of her arms and ran over to Kaira and meowed thoughtfully. Kimiko went over and helped Kaira up. "You must still be weak from yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Kaira repeated. _Oh that's right. I tried learning that complex Nekoosa jutsu, but it ended up draining my chakra and I ended up fainting. But what does that have to do with my legs? Maybe they won't work because my chakra is still weak. _"Where am I?"

"Silly! You're at my and Zai's house." Kimiko giggled. "This is my room."

"Oh, thank you, Kimiko." Kaira replied. Kimiko nodded.

"Sure thing! Oh, and Shizuka-sensei gave us the day off today, seeing as it's our one week anniversary for being team 9. It's very kind of her." Kimiko said. Kaira nodded and smiled at her friend and teammate.

"Kimi, is your friend awake?" asked a woman's voice. Kaira looked up and saw a woman in her 40's with short loose black hair and light blue eyes. She looked like Zai. "Oh, great, would you like anything to eat for breakfast, dear? By the way, I'm Kimiko and Zai's mother, Ai Kazumi." Kaira bowed her head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Kaira said politely. "My name is Kaira Nekoosa."

"I've heard many things about you from Kimiko and Zai. Thank you for putting up with my children. I know it must be tiring being in a squad with twins, but you seem like you take it well."

"Moooom," Kimiko moaned. "Just make Kaira some grilled fish, it's her favorite."

"Oh, no, thank you, I'm not feeling very hungry." Kaira cut in.

"Alright, make sure to tell me if you need anything and feel free to stay as long as you like." Ms. Kazumi said, bowing her way out before leaving. Kaira smiled.

"Kaira, I've never asked about your mom; when I came over, it looked like only you lived there." Kimiko said. Kaira flinched and stared down at the floor. "I bet your mom was really pretty."

"Meoww." Mei said, lightly touching Kimiko's leg.

"Oh, what is it, Mei?" Kimiko asked, looking down at the small dark blueish-black cat.

"Thank you for letting me stay the night, Kimiko, but I better get going." Kaira said, holding her hand out. Kimiko studied Kaira, but took her hand and pulled her up.

"You sure you're okay, Kaira?" Kimiko asked, not too sure about letting Kaira leave. Kaira staggered a bit, but finally gained her balance.

"I'm positive. I own you one, Kimi." Kaira smiled, assuring her teammate. "Besides, I have things to do today." Kaira lied. Kimiko nodded.

"Okay, well, let me walk you out." Kimiko offered. Kaira accepted her teammate's help. Kimiko walked out of the room and down the hall. "We live kind of near our training grounds, so it's across town from you."

"Oh."

"Feel free to visit us anytime." Kimiko giggled, walking past the kitchen. Zai looked up and saw Kaira still staggering being Kimiko.

"I will, thanks." Kaira replied.

"Kaira!" Zai called. Kimiko and Kaira stopped walking and turned to see Zai following behind them. "Are you alright?" He asked, looking at her legs, seeing them shake every now and then. "You don't seem too good; I think you need more rest." Zai said.

"I'm fine." Kaira insisted, glaring at him. Zai jumped and took a step back. Kaira glares, but she's never glared at her own teammate before. "I'll be going now." Kaira said, brushing past Kimiko and ending up right by the door. "I'm grateful for letting me stay here." Kaira smiled, stunning Kimiko and Zai. She walked out of the house and leaned on their door after she closed it.

"What's with her?" Kimiko asked. Zai shrugged.

"What'd you do, Kimi?" Zai asked. Kimiko put her finger to her chin and tried to recall their conversation in her room.

"She was fine until I asked about her mother." Kimiko finished.

"She asked about mom, Mei." Kaira whispered, hiding her eyes. Mei gave Kaira a sad look. Kaira got up and walked out into the street. She knew where she was and it was right by town.

"Meow..?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, I'll just walk it off." Kaira said, trying to smile but failing miserably. She started walking towards town and Mei just walked beside Kaira. What happened to Kaira's family, you ask? Well…

"Meoww."

"Thanks, Mei." Kaira said, reaching down and picking up Mei. "I love you, Mei, you're my family now." Kaira said , cuddling Mei.

It continued like this until they reached town, with all the shops and people buzzing around. Mei meowed and stuck her paw out for the pet store. Kaira looked at it and ran over there. "Meow, meow!"

"We haven't been here in such a long time, huh, Mei?" Kaira asked, still holding Mei. Kaira walked between the aisles and saw many different toys and treats for pets. She turned the aisle and BAM!

"Arf, arf!"

There, standing in front of Kaira and Mei, was Kiba and Akamaru.

_Great! The least person I want to see right now! _Kaira thought, averting eyes. Kiba just looked down at Kaira with a blank face.

"Arf, arf!"

"Hey, look Akamaru! It's the treats you like!" Kiba said, rushing over to another aisle. Kaira's eyes followed to Kiba. Did he just ignore her? …..No, he avoided her. Kaira looked down and dashed out of the pet store.

"Meow?" Mei questioned. Kaira shook her head.

"It's nothing, Mei." Kaira tried to calm Mei, but it didn't seem to be working. Kaira's day already started off bad, with a touchy subject. Kaira started walking out of the main part of town, but soon came to the main building. She took a left and started off for a neighborhood. She came to a neighborhood park and saw many kids playing on it. With each kids' mother's watching them, smiling at their child.

"Meow?"

"I already told you, Mei." Kaira said in an annoyed tone. Mei looked at the ground, feeling like she couldn't do anything for the most important person in her life.

Suddenly Mei jumped out of Kaira's arms and took off running. Kaira held her arm out to Mei. "Mei!" Kaira called, chasing after her. Mei ran down an alleyway and Kaira chased, until Mei ran until the tall fence. There was barely an room for Mei to fit, but she made it from the tiny hole in the wall. "Mei!" Kaira called again, falling to her knees and peeking through the hole in the wall. She couldn't catch even a small glimpse of Mei. Kaira sat up, still on her knees and rubbed her eyes. _This is all my fault. Just because I turn touchy when someone talks about 'them.' I got annoyed at Mei and now she ran away. I bet she's lost now. She's never been through Konoha all alone._ Kaira stood up and retraced her steps. Past the park, past the main building. _Maybe she went home! _Kaira dashed all the way to her house, to the other side of the village. Now Kaira has low stamina, but she ran all that way without getting tired. Probably because she was worried about Mei.

She saw her house and opened the door and ran in.

"Mei!" Kaira called. No answer. "Mei, are you here?" Kaira asked, her voice turning a bit shaky. _I scared her off and now she's lost!_ Kaira rubbed her eyes again. She refused to cry. _Don't worry, Mei, I'm coming!_ Kaira ran out of her house and locked the door behind her and started running through the streets. "Mei!" Kaira called, through her neighborhood. "Mei!" Kaira called again, turning the corner and entering another neighborhood. _It's till morning, so I'll surely find her by lunch time._ Kaira pep talked herself in her head. _No worries._ Kaira nodded as she came nearer into town. "Mei!" Kaira kept running throughout the many buildings as she came into town and saw that the streets were packed. If Mei came into his crowd, she'll surely get stepped on! "Mei! Mei!" Kaira called, looking around and even crawling on the ground, Mei's level. At Mei's level, all Kaira could see was feet, but no cats, or animals for that matter. Kaira started running again, dodging people left and right. "Mei!"

The people around her just looked at her like she was crazy. No one even bothered to stop and ask if she needed help. She was clearly in distress and no one even tried.

Kaira started fading out of the crowded part of town and into a maze of sidewalks. "Mei! Mei!"

"Hey, you're a rookie, aren't you?" asked a voice from behind her. She ignore it and kept running.

"Hey, listen to us while we're talking to you!" yelled another. Suddenly, Kaira froze. She didn't stop, something was controlling her. "That's better." The two people started walking towards her and studied her when they were close enough. They both wore ninja headbands and they were both older boys. They were still genin level.

"Rookie?" asked the first one again. Kaira glared at them, but nodded. "Why are you in such a hurry?" The second of the two released the jutsu they used on Kaira and she fell down as soon as her feet touched the ground. Now that she stopped, she just realized how much she was pushing herself. Her legs were still weak and her chakra was low.

"Get out of my way." Kaira whispered. The two boys looked at one another.

"What was that?" The second asked, leaning towards her and grinning.

"Get out of my way!" Kaira roared, ignoring the pain and standing up.

"Idiot! You picked a scary one!" the second one said. Kaira's cat ears and tail came out and her eyes turned to slits. They both ran from her, but she didn't chase. She released her cat form and returned to normal as she started running around more. "Mei!" Kaira went back to the same routine of running through different neighborhoods and running through crowds of people.

After searching for half the day, Kaira was getting tired and she was feeling the pain in her legs. _I need to stop and rest, but I have to keep searching for Mei! _Kaira thought, leaning against a house for support. She looked up and at the end of the alleyway she was in, was a park. _This is were Mei first ran off._ Kaira realized. _I must have went through the whole village… Either way, I need a break, I'll look for Mei again after I'm rested just a bit more…_ Kaira walked over to the park and still saw some children playing around with their moms watching their dear ones with smiles on their faces. Kaira staggered over to the empty swings and sat down, letting her feet dangle on the highest swing.

"Who's the girl over there?" asked a mom to another. They were sitting on the other side of the park as they all studied her.

"I don't know, but she looks lost, doesn't she?" asked the latter.

"Poor girl, you can tell she's been through a lot. She has distraught in her eyes."

"Alright, kids, let's get going home."

Kaira looked up and heard complaining from the kids, but they reluctantly left with their respective moms. She just saw their backs leaving before she looked down at the ground again. _So, I've looked all around Konoha, maybe I should try the outer part of Konoha, like our training grounds. She knows where that is. Mei is a smart kitty, she'll stay in one place so I can find her._

"Arf, arf!"

_A dog? _

"This is where you led me, Akamaru?"

_That voice-!_

Kaira shot her head up and saw Kiba standing over her, with his arms crossed and a why-did-Akamaru-bring-me-here kinda of look.

"Arrr." Akamaru said.

"Oh, Kiba." Kaira mumbled in a disappointed tone. Her tone made Kiba more irritated. She brought her gaze to Akamaru, who was right under her. Akamaru whimpered, startling Kaira.

"Hm?" Kiba asked, sounding a bit surprised. "You're right, Akamaru. Kaira, where's Mei?" Kiba asked, generally concerned. Kaira flinched and avoiding looking at either one of them. Kaira was silent and didn't answer his question. "So this is what Akamaru was worried about."

"Huh?" Kaira questioned, looking back up and meeting Kiba's fierce eyes.

"Akamaru just took off in this direction and I had to chase after him; this is where he lead me." Kiba shrugged like it was a pain. Akamaru whimpered more and nudged Kaira's leg with his nose. "Akamaru likes Mei, so…"

"Arf!"

"Since he's helping, I guess I have to, too." Kiba spat.

_Kiba and… Akamaru are going to help…?_ This brought a smile to Kaira's face. Her smile made Kiba jump. "You'd really help me, Kiba?" Kaira asked, life returning to her voice. Kiba looked away and into the distance.

"Does it look like I would?" Kiba asked rather harshly. "I'm only helping so Akamaru would stop worrying." Kiba finished stubbornly.

"Thank you." Kaira replied, bowing her head. Kiba took a step back before turning around and looking at her over his shoulder.

"Well, let's get going!" Kiba rushed. Kaira looked back up and smiled at him as she nodded.

"Right." Kaira agreed. Kiba pouted silently as he started walking, with Akamaru running past him.

Kaira slumped down to the ground, but grabbed the swing pole for support. Kiba quickly turned around when he heard something wrong, with his sharp senses and stuff. "Kaira, are you alright?" Kiba asked, rushing over to her and bending down next to her. She made a face that showed she was in pain. He looked at her legs and saw she was shaking. "You shouldn't be out in this condition!" Kiba growled. "It looks to me you overdid yourself."

"I don't care about that stuff! I need to find Mei!" Kaira yelled, shutting her eyes tightly. Kiba recoiled at Kaira's words.

_She's putting Mei before herself… like how I'd put Akamaru before me._ Kiba thought. Kaira pulled herself up and stumbled around before regaining her balance. "Stubborn cat." Kiba said under his breath.

"Arf."

"I looked all over the village, so maybe she's near the training grounds. I know Mei. If she were lost,"

"Which she is." Kiba murmured, looking away when Kaira glared at him.

"She'd stay still and wait for me to find her." Kaira finished. Kiba stood up again, but not before putting Akamaru on top of his head.

"Well, it won't do any good to just stand here, let's get going." Kiba pressed. Kaira took a deep breath and nodded. They started walking down the street. "We'd better take it easy, you're still weak, Kaira."

"Oh, um, thanks, Kiba… I guess." Kaira pouted. "Shouldn't we split up for this?"

"Generally, yeah, but you said she's stay in one spot, so, it's fine if we search together, isn't it?" Kiba asked. He reached up and touched Akamaru, who licked his finger. "Besides, if Akamaru were lost, I'd like to have some company while I search for him." Kiba finished, startling Kaira. Kiba must have noticed the surprise in Kaira's eyes. "I already told you I'm only helping you because of Akamaru, got that?" Kiba growled. Kaira just smiled and nodded.

"Sure, sure."

"You still annoy me, cat." Kiba said, making a fist.

"Mei~!" Kaira called, ignoring Kiba.

"Arf!"

"Mei!" Kiba called. They kept walking and calling for Mei, who still was no where to be found. They soon entered town and it wasn't as crowded as before, but there was still a lot of people there. "Excuse me, have you seen a small blackish-blue cat around here?" Kiba asked a passerby.

"No, I'm sorry." passerby replied, continuing to walk. Kiba went around asking at least thirty people, but no luck. Kaira went into the stores and asked the shop owners, but no luck there either.

**.:An hour later:.**

"Anything?" Kaira asked, running towards Kiba. He shook his head and Akamaru whimpered. "So, then she must be near the training grounds." Kaira said to herself, running towards the main gate.

"Hey, Kaira!" Kiba called, chasing after her.

_The only place she could be is at the training grounds. She wouldn't be anywhere else! _Kaira panicked, tuning out Kiba's calling.

Kiba's worry about Kaira kept increasing and increasing. Though they're rivals, he doesn't consider her one right now. He's generally worried about her. If anything happened to Akamaru, Kiba would probably react in the same was as her; so he understand how she feels right now.

Kaira ran past the gate and quickly turned towards their training area. Kiba made a fist.

"Kaira! Calm down, we'll find her!" Kiba shouted at the top of his lungs. Kaira flinched and immediately stopped when she hear him. They were out of sight from everybody in the village, so they were alone now. Kaira turned her head slightly towards him, but didn't let him see her face.

"You think so?" Kaira asked. Kiba walked towards her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm positive, Kaira." Kiba assured her the best he could. He's never comforted someone before, so this was a little strange to him. She turned around and revealed that tears were coming down her face. Kiba blushed and quickly averted his eyes.

Kaira wiped her tears away and smiled at Kiba. "Let's go, then." Kaira nodded, slowing down to a fast walk with Kiba and Akamaru.

"If you don't me asking, how did Mei get lost in the first place?" Kiba asked, still refusing to look at Kaira. She made a pitiful face.

"I kind of got annoyed with her because she was worried about me." Kaira sighed. "I was a little harsh on her. She was just worried about me and I snapped at her. It was all because Kimiko started talking about something and, well, it made me get touchy." Kaira ended. Kiba blinked and decided to look at her now. It was obvious she blamed herself for Mei disappearing.

Kiba opened his mouth to ask about the touchy subject, but decided against it. He wouldn't want to make Kaira get sad again.

"Kimiko asked about my mother…" Kaira randomly said. Kiba was shocked. Now that she mentioned it, he would never see anybody other than Kaira at events that are usually for families. Even when he went to her house that one day, it looked like she lived alone.

"Your mom?" Kiba repeated. Kaira nodded slowly. "If you don't mind, again, what happened to her?" Kaira gulped and felt sweat trickle down her head.

"My mom was killed when I was five years old. She was murdered right in front of me." Kaira cried. Kiba jumped and shivered.

"Kaira…" Kiba murmured, not sure what to say.

"My mom wasn't the online one who's blood was spilt that day." Kaira continued, "My little sister was killed the same way my mom was, the same way." Kaira wailed.

"Kaira, who killed them?" Kiba was able to get out. _Kaira seems to have been through a lot. Seeing her family killed right in front of her; she must be traumatized… and all this time I always picked on her…_

"I can't tell you…" Kaira shied away. Kiba nodded, understanding. "So you see, Mei is the only family I have and I can't lose her!" Kaira said, gaining confidence. _I've never told anyone, not even Sasuke, about my mom and sister. Why did I end up telling Kiba, who is always fighting with me?_

"I understand, Kaira." Kiba said. Kaira looked over at Kiba and gave him a thank-you look.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you ignore me in the pet store earlier?" Kaira asked, recalling the memory.

"It looked like you were already having a hard day, so I didn't want to bother you." Kiba said, shyly. Kaira's smiled grew.

They landed at team 9's training area and looked around.

"Mei!" Kaira called.

"Arf!" Akamaru called.

"Mei!" Kiba called as well. Kaira's cat ears popped up as she turned towards the woods in the opposite direction from where they came. Kiba looked back at Kaira, then at the direction where she was looking.

A shadow came out of the trees and it revealed an older teenage girl with fire red hair tied into a ponytail. "Oh, is this who you're all looking for?" She asked, her voice as sweet as chocolate. She had Mei, asleep in her arms. "I was doing some late-training, and ran into her, literally." The girl laughed, pointing to a long scratch on her left cheek. "But she paid me back for it; she sure is strong." The girl walked over to Kaira and Kiba, who were both tensed up. She wasn't wearing a ninja headband, so could she be an outsider? "Oh, I'm so sorry, my name is Asa Nekoosa, and I'm a ninja from here." Asa smiled sweetly. Kiba looked at Kaira, who's ears perked up.

"You're a Nekoosa?" Kaira asked cheerfully.

"I take it you are as well?" Asa asked, waking Mei.

"I've never seen you around the village." Kiba stated. Asa and Kaira looked at Kiba, who was glaring at Asa and Akamaru was growling.

"I'm usually always on missions, that's why." Asa said. "It seems like you don't trust me," Asa observed, looking at Kiba. "I'll let you know why, then, I'm apart of the anbu black ops, but you kids can't tell anyone that." Asa smiled again. Kaira looked back at Kiba, who was still tense. "May I ask for your name?"

"I'm Kiba Inuzuka." Kiba introduced. "This is Akamaru."

"Arf!"

"No wonder you don't like me. Cats and dogs, eh?" Asa mused.

"Don't mind Kiba." Kaira replied. "My name is Kaira Nekoosa."

"Huh. Kaira?" Asa repeated, startled. Kaira nodded as Mei's eyes started opening. _So this is her, hm?_

"Mei!" Kaira cried, as Mei leaped into Kaira's waiting arms. Mei started licking Kaira's face and Kaira started giggling. Kiba stopped glaring and smiled, seeing Kaira and Mei reunite.

"That's so touching." Asa nodded. Then they all heard growling as a large tiger came out of the woods. "Oh, there you are, Tundra."

"That's your cat?" Kaira exclaimed. Asa nodded and went over to hug Tundra.

"When we go into the village, I use a jutsu on him so he will shrink to an average cat size, but this is his real size." Asa explained. "He's gentle around me." Tundra let out a weak roar and Asa nodded. "Right, right, we'd better get back to the village, so maybe I'll see you two around." Asa said, walking past them.

"Thank you so much, Asa." Kaira said, crying and bowing. Asa nodded and saw Kiba glaring at her again before she left.

"So that was Kaira, huh? Did you get a good look at her, Tundra?" Asa whispered just for Tundra's ears. "We should tell the boss."

"Kiba, we found Mei!" Kaira cried, almost suffocating Mei. Kiba nodded and walked over to Kaira and Mei.

"I'm glad." Kiba said. Kaira smiled at Kiba.

"Thank you, Kiba. I'm really glad you helped me." Kaira said. Kiba smiled, but then realized… He jumped away and crossed his arms.

"Don't forget, I only helped for Akamaru's sake. So thank Akamaru." Kiba huffed. Kaira nodded and walked over and took Akamaru off of Kiba' head.

"Thank you sooo much, Akamaru." Kaira said, kissing Akamaru's nose. "I owe you big time."

"C'mon, let's get going back now, it's getting late." Kiba said, crossing his arms. Mei ran over to him, jumped up, and licking his face. "Wha-?"

"She likes you." Kaira giggled, seeing Kiba's surprised face. Then Kiba just smiled as Mei licked him. Kaira unexpectedly fell on the ground, her legs erupting in pain. _Now's not the time!_

"Kaira!" Kiba yelled rushing over to her. Mei ran over and nudged her hand. "Don't worry, Kaira, I'll carry you home." Kiba assured. He put her arm over his and stood up. "Let's get going now; don't worry, Kaira, I got you." Kiba said, starting off towards the main gate.

_Y'know, Kiba isn't half bad… _Kaira thought, not noticing a blush arising in her cheeks.

Maybe the hatchet will end up being buried during the timeline of their unexpected, new friendship.


	8. Childhood Friendships

**.:Two Weeks Later:.**

"Ah." Kimiko fell over on her back in the training ground, breathing hard.

"Kimiko, get up, we're not done training." Shizuka said, walking over to Kimiko.

"Sensei…" Kimiko huffed. "I can't…"

"Shizuka-sensei, Kimiko is dead tired, I'll take over for her." Zai said, walking towards Shizuka. She quickly turned around and flung weapons at him, which he easily dodged.

As they fought, Kaira rushed over to Kimiko and helped her up. "You did a great job out there, Kimiko." Kaira smiled, handing her water. Kimiko took it and drank it rapidly. Mei trotted over to them and licked Kimiko.

"We only have two days until the chuunin exam and I'm still slacking; I still can't get through sparring with Shizuka-sensei without running out of stamina." Kimiko complained.

"You've improved, Kimi. I have even less stamina than you, so you should be proud of yourself." Kaira said. Kimi studied her friend.

"Kaira!" Shizuka-sensei called right before throwing a kunai at her. Kaira turned away from it.

"That's my cue." Kaira sang, standing up and nodding at Mei. Zai stumbled back and fell back on the tree, breathing heavily.

**.:30 minutes later:.**

"It's exactly 8pm. Training is officially over." Shizuka-sensei said, standing in a circle of her almost fainted students. "I want you all to take the day off tomorrow. As you know, the chuunin exam is the day after tomorrow, so, relax and gather your strength."

Shizuka explained to her squad that the chuunin exam was held in different villages and many teams come from another village. The exam is made up of 3 parts and if you pass all three parts, you become a chuunin, which is the next higher rank to genin.

"Chuunin exam, already, huh?" Kimiko asked, taking some water and gulping it. Zai sat up, but Kaira stayed down.

"You all improved rapidly during these 3 weeks. You've increased stamina, speed, and most importantly, you've learned so many new jutsu," Shizuka looked at Kimiko who made a peace sign. "some of which shouldn't be known by genin," then she turned to Mei and Kaira, "some which are very unique and powerful," now it was Zai, "with such precision and accuracy." Shizuka made a fist and looked down at the ground. "I believe all of you can pass this, but, you'll have to give it your all."

"We will, Shizuka-sensei." They all said in unison.

"You may all go home now." She said. "I'll walk you to the building where it'll be held in the early morning, meet me at the Academy at 8am." She said, then waved, then disappeared.

"The chuunin exam." Zai stated.

"It must be hard." Kimiko muttered.

"Don't worry, we'll all pass." Kaira assured her team. Zai and Kimiko nodded and smiled at one another. They sat in silence for awhile, trying to catch their breath.

"We'd better get home, Kimi, you know how mom gets angry if we're out past 9." Zai said, standing up and walking over to his sister and helping her up.

"Ah, I finally get to sleep in tomorrow." Kimiko squealed. Kaira smiled at her teammates as she stood up too. "Are you leaving too, Kaira?"

"Oh, yeah, I better get home." Kaira replied, picking up Mei.

"What are you going to be doing tomorrow?" Zai asked, smiling at her. Which is rare for him, because he usually always has a monotonic and blank face about it.

"She's probably meeting up with Sasuke." Kimiko said that just to make Zai be quite and to make him sad.

"Oh." Zai said, looking down and inspecting his kunais and shurikans. Kaira half-smiled at them. "Let's get home, Kimiko."

"Just cuz she rejected you without actually talking?" Kimiko teased.

"Kimi!" Zai roared, running after her. Kimiko took off into the woods.

"See ya later, Kaira!" Kimiko giggled, before disappearing into the woods back to Konoha.

"Bye, Kaira." Zai said when he zoomed past her. Kaira held her hair down as they both zoomed past her. She her a loud giggle, then a scream, then another loud giggle. She knows for sure the giggle was Kimiko, but who was the scream? It could have been Zai, but it sounded like Kimiko. Unless Zai has a girly scream. Either way, Kaira started off towards home.

**.:The Next Day:.**

"Nnh." Kaira yawned, sitting up from bed and stretching like a cat. Mei joined her in the stretching.

"Morning, Kaira!" Kimiko greeted, popping her head into Kaira's room. Kaira jumped and fell back in bed.

"Kimi! Why are you here?" Kaira yelled from surprise. Kimiko skipped into Kaira's room and Kaira noticed she was holding a ladle.

"I came to make you some soup!" Kimiko replied like it was obvious.

"Well, I appreciate that, Kimi, but couldn't you have asked? How'd you get in anyways?" Kaira asked, getting up again.

"By the way, Kaira, you never told me Sasuke had a key to your house." Kimi said in a teasing voice. Kaira jumped as Sasuke came walking into her room as well. "I was simply walking by your house, but I past Sasuke, who was coming over so I came with him!" Kimiko explained, all smiles.

"I hope you don't mind me using the key." Sasuke said. Kaira sighed and got out of bed. She gave him the key at least 4 years ago, but he hardly ever uses it; he said he preferred to just come in with Kaira.

"Oh, well, uh," Kaira started, not wanting to offend Kimiko and Sasuke. What could she say? "Yeah, it's fine." Was all she could actually see. Kimiko smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Great! I better go check on the soup." Kimiko said, leaving the room and waving. Sasuke shrugged and casually walked out of Kaira's room too.

Sasuke followed Kimiko into the kitchen and sat down at the table as she checked the soup. "Sasuke, are you sure about this soup?" Kimiko asked, stirring it. Sasuke nodded in his dark way. "It seems… how do I say it? Different." Sasuke told Kimiko to make a soup using milk, half a fish, with some pepper seasoning. "What do you call it?"

"Kaira's favorite." Sasuke muttered. Kimiko jumped and faced him.

"Kaira _likes_ this stuff?" Kimiko shivered. Sasuke nodded. "How?" Sasuke looked around the room, but Mei just came in and jumped on the table and snuggled up to Sasuke.

"When we were younger, I always came over," Sasuke started.

_Don't you still come over a lot!_ Kimiko thought, but still smiled.

"and one night I decided to make Kaira dinner, but I couldn't really cook because she always used to cook for me. So, I tried to make her favorite foods, grilled fish and a fruit bowl,"

_Fruit doesn't seem to go in with grilled fish!_ Kimiko thought, still smiling.

"but she ran out of fruit because she ate all of them and-"

"He didn't know grilled fish was grilled." Kaira interrupted, walking into the kitchen. Sasuke put his head down to hide his very rare blush and Kimiko started laughing. "He wasn't the brightest kid, trust me."

"Anyways!" Sasuke said, trying to stop his embarrassment. "I put the fish in a pot and I thought I could make Kaira eat a two-in-one meal, so I poured some milk in there."

"That's how it was created, right?" Kimiko snapped her fingers, understanding. Sasuke nodded.

"When he served it to me, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I ate it because I didn't want to hurt his feelings." Kaira laughed. "It turned out to be the most delicious thing I ever tasted." Kaira smiled at Sasuke and he put his head down, hiding another very rare, light blush. "So now Sasuke makes it for me about once a month."

"Oh, I see." Kimiko said. "So, why am I making it for her instead of you, Sasuke?" She asked him. He looked back up with his usual blank face.

"You should learn it." He simply said.

"Saying that makes it sounds like you plan on leaving Konoha." Kimi smiled, returning to stirring it. Kaira looked at Sasuke who just stared forward.

"I'd never leave Kaira." Sasuke stated. Kimiko jumped and almost fell over the soup and Kaira blushed.

"Geez, Sasuke, when you say it like that, it makes it sounds like…" Kimiko started, but trailed off when she blushed her own.

"Sound like what?" Sasuke asked.

"N-Nothing…" Kimiko said, leaning back when the soup started stinking.

"Oh, and the soup really stinks." Sasuke said a little too late.

"Thanks for telling me earlier!" Kimiko sarcastically replied. She put a lid on it and sighed as she lean back on the table, but accidentally tipped it over.

"Hey, Sasuke, she's about as clumsy as you used to be!" Kaira laughed, going around the table and helping Kimiko up.

"I wasn't that clumsy." Sasuke grunted, lifting the table up and setting it all over it again. Kaira dusted Kimiko off and laughed more. Kaira recalled when Sasuke used to trip over his toys all the time at his old house. He doesn't think that's clumsy? It totally was. "At least I didn't run into a tree while playing tag." Kaira released Kimiko and it was her turn to blush from embarrassment. "Kaira had to get 2 stitches for that." Sasuke told Kimiko, who held back a laughter.

"You distracted me from running! I call foul!" Kaira said, leaning over the table and making eye contact with Sasuke.

"It's not a foul if you have bad concentration." Sasuke shrugged in his common coolness. Kaira made a fist, but released it. Using force is how she'd deal with fights with Kiba, not her childhood friend, Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke, you're entering the chuunin exam too, aren't you?" Kimiko asked. Sasuke nodded.

"No way, you are?" Kaira asked, really interested in the subject. "But you're only a rookie!"

"Uh, Kaira, what do you think you are?" Kimiko asked. Kaira forgot she was a rookie too. Her usual self seemed to look down on Sasuke, like back in their younger days when she always protected the weak and helpless little Sasuke. She keeps forgetting he's not the same boy as before.

"Right, well, I hope you do good, Sasuke." Kaira smiled and Sasuke smirked. "I'll be cheering for you, but if you cross paths with us…"

"She'll still cheer. I'll fight you." Kimiko smiled before turning off the soup. "Alright, breakfast is served!" She took out three bowls and scooped a lot into each bowl and served them.

"Yay!" Kaira said, taking a seat by Sasuke again as she licked her lips.

"One for Sasuke," Kimiko put one bowl in front of him, "one for Kaira," She gave the biggest bowl to Kaira, "and the last for me." Kimiko sat the last bowl by Kaira, but didn't sit down. She got out some milk and poured it into Mei's bowl. "And milk for Mei." Kimiko smiled as Mei meowed and attacked the milk.

"Thank you, Kimiko." Kaira said, then took a spoon and started eating. "Mmm, it's so good." Kimiko sat down and took a spoon. She was excited to eat it and see what made Kaira's taste buds soar. She put it to her mouth, slips, and swallowed.

"What the-?" Kimiko whispered, looking at the smelly soup. She took another slip and Sasuke covered his ears. "How can you like this, Kaira!" Kimiko yelled. Kaira put it down and looked at Kimiko and cocked her head to the side. Kimiko looked at Kaira's bowl and saw it was all gone. _W-What a piggy kitty! How can she eat it! It's disgusting! _

"She reacted like you first did, Sasuke." Kaira smiled like it was so amusing. Sasuke shrugged and took a slip.

"You like it, Sasuke?" Kimiko asked.

"No, but I just eat it because it's Kaira's favorite." Sasuke said, eating more. Kimiko looked down. Kimiko is picking up something about Sasuke and Kaira.

"You don't have to eat it, Kimiko, I'll eat yours." Kaira said, taking her bowl and eating. "I'm glad you made it."

"Meow."

"Are you already done, Mei?" Kimiko asked, leaning down and petting Mei. Mei looked at the scratch she had given Kimiko yesterday. It was just a slight cut and will heal soon.

"Thank you, Kimiko." Sasuke said, getting up from the table and putting his things in the sink. "I'd better get going, I have business to do today since tomorrow is the chuunin exams." He walked towards the door and waved at Kaira. "See you tomorrow, Kaira." He said, walking out the door.

_He still only addresses Kaira!_ Kimi thought, returning to focus on Mei.

"Meow."

_I agree, Mei, I agree._ Kimi thought, nodding her head.

"I want some more." Kaira said, filling up her bowl more. She could never get enough of that soup.

**.:The Next Day:.**

Zai and Kimiko were already at the Academy bright and early. They were only waiting for Shizuka-sensei and Kaira and Mei. After awhile, Shizuka showed up, but still no Kaira.

"Geez, where is she?" Shizuka said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "We have no time to wait for her, but I can't enter a two-man squad." Shizuka complained. "Oh, Kimiko, here's the application you need to enter. It has my signature on it, saying I agreed to let you participate and all that stuff."

"Oh, okay, thanks, sensei." Kimiko said, distracted by the wind. She took the paper and put it in her fully stocked ninja bag.

"Heyy, sorry I'm late." Kaira called, running towards them from a distance. Shizuka relaxed when she saw Kaira running towards them. With Kaira's running speed, she'll be caught up in seconds. "Geez, I kind of overslept, but it's all good because Mei pushed me out of the bed and it woke me!" Kaira laughed. Shizuka, Zai, and Kimiko looked at Mei, who seemed to smile back at them

_How could Mei push Kaira out of bed?_ They all thought in unison, seeing Mei's small cat body and Kaira's human body.

"Well, we'd better get going to the building." Shizuka said, shaking her head of all distractments. Shizuka and her squad started walking to the building not far off. "I take it you all had a nice day yesterday?" Kimiko thought back to disgusting soup and stuck out her tongue. Kaira thought back to yummy soup and licked her lips. Zai thought back to Kimiko kicking him out of the house and made a fist.

"Eh." The twins said.

"It was great." Kaira exclaimed. Shizuka smiled at them, thinking they all said 'it was great.'

"Well, all of you are all very strong, and I have faith in you." Shizuka said, already arriving at the building.

"Shizuka-sensei…" Kimiko huffed. Kaira pouted and Zai just stared.

"I believe you all can pass this chuunin exam if you give it your all; don't forget the fierce training you all went through." Shizuka went on. Kaira shivered remembering how many times she had fainted during training. Kimiko looked at her many scars she earned and Zai, he remembered having to take care of them when the going got rough.

"Do you think you're ready for the Chuunin exam?" Shizuka-sensei asked, taking the time to look and each and every one of them. "It'll be difficult, so I trust you all will look out for one another." Kaira looked at Kimiko, then at Zai. She hugged Mei close to her.

"We won't let you down, Shizuka-sensei." Zai said, making a fist.

"You taught us well." Kimiko smirked, putting her hand on her hip. Kaira looked at the two siblings, on either side of her. She grinned at Shizuka-sensei. These people were her trustworthy team.

"We'll return to you in one, alive piece." Kaira assured, completing their squad look. Shizuka sighed and put her hands on Zai and Kimiko's heads.

"I wish you all the best of luck. I'll meet you after the second part of the exam." Shizuka-sensei said, smiling down at all of them. "Now, go."

Kaira exchanged glances with her teammates before they walked into the building where the 1st part of the exam will be held.


	9. Begin, Chuunin Exam

"You nervous, Kaira?" Kimiko asked, looking at Kaira, who was leading them into the building. Kaira shook her head confidently. "Why not?"

"I know we'll all pass." Kaira gave confidence to her teammates. Zai grinned and closed his eyes and Kimiko smiled. "Isn't that right, Mei?" Kaira asked, cuddling against Mei.

"So, where to, Kimiko?" Zai asked, opening his eyes again and going back to his blank face. Kimiko took looked around as they started going up stairs.

"Room 301." Kimiko replied.

"Where's that at?" Kaira asked. Zai shrugged and crossed his arms and Kimiko ran around, checking every door they saw.

"Not this one." Kimiko said, going to another door. "Or this on either." She ran farther and farther away from Kaira and Zai. "Or this one." Kaira grinned at Kimiko. "Not this one either."

"Kimiko sure is a handful." Zai sighed, shaking head and putting his hand to his forehead. Kaira looked back at Zai and smiled.

"But she's fun to have around; beside, she's strong." Kaira said, her smiled fading and becoming dark when she said the last sentence.

"I agree, but I just have a feeling she'll put us into danger." Zai said. Kaira bobbed her head to the left, then the right side. Zai does know Kimiko better than Kaira and it seems as though Kimiko brings Zai a lot of trouble, but she's sure Kimiko won't be a problem now. "If danger does come to us, I'll protect you, Kaira." Zai muttered. Kaira looked back at him again and smiled.

"Really? I'd appreciate that, Zai." She replied, completely misunderstanding what he was trying to say. He sighed and gave up. They saw Kimiko run up some stairs, but now she was running back down them.

"I found it~" Kimiko sang and jumped up and down. Kaira felt relieved as she and Zai started running for Kimiko. "There's a big crowd of kids up there though."

"A crowd?" Zai repeated. Kimiko nodded and showed them the room and the huge crowd. As soon as they got up there, they saw someone falling to the ground.

They saw two kids blocking the door, guessing they punched the kid.

"What the-?" Kimiko asked, taking a step forward, but stopped when Kaira pulled her back and shook her head.

"Zai?" Kaira asked, turning back to him. He nodded and put his hands together and closed his eyes to concentrate. The two guards started talking, but Kaira and Kimiko were too far back to hear anything, plus they were a little distracted by the other angry kids.

"Hey, look, Kaira, it's Sasuke and his squad." Kimiko said, signaling for Sasuke, who was standing near the front. Kaira turned away and looked at Zai. _Did she just ignore Sasuke for Zai!_

Kaira had to worry about her teammate, plus, Sasuke looked fine in that crowd. Zai finally opened his eyes and Kaira patted his back.

"These are two are actually Jounin using genjutsu on these gullible genin." Zai explained by whispering into Kaira's ear. She nodded with each word her said. Kimiko crossed her arms and huffed over to them. "They're trying to see who'd give up so easily."

"So this isn't the real room 301?" Kaira spoke softly. Zai shook his head.

"It's over there, at the end of the hall." Zai said, signaling for the left hallway.

"Shall we go, then?" Kaira asked, stepping up and being the leader of the squad. Kimiko straightened up and Zai nodded, this time actually smiling. The twins accept Kaira as their leader. Mei trotted over to the left hallway and led them. It appears like Mei is the leader. Kaira and the twins snuck away from the crowd to make sure no one else caught on. "Phase ½, completed!"

"½?" Kimiko questioned. Zai smirked and put his hand on his sister's shoulder.

"We got past an illusion before the actual exam." Zai clarified. "Kaira's saying we've improved, right, Kaira?" Kaira nodded and Mei meowed. "Hey, Kimiko, I noticed the scratch Mei gave you didn't heal yet." Kimiko jumped and pulled away from Zai's hand.

"O-Of course it didn't! It's only been three weeks." Kimiko huffed.

"Shouldn't they have healed by then?" Zai asked more himself than Kimiko.

"Meoww."

"It's okay, I forgive you, Mei." Kimiko smiled at Mei. "Speaking of cuts…"

"Hm?" Kaira hummed. Kimiko shook her head, dropping the subject.

"Never mind~" Kimiko sang. They kept going down the hallway, but heard noises behind them. "Looks like the other students figured it out." Kimiko stated, watching some squads run past them.

"Doesn't matter; it's just more people we'll beat out." Kaira smiled. Zai and Kimiko nodded. This is the Kaira they've known for the past three weeks, during missions and intense training.

They finally reached the real room 301 and they all took a deep breath. Kaira walked forward and opened the door. "Geez, you two are frozen or something." Kaira shook her head, seeing Kimiko shiver. Kaira walked in and the twins followed. As they walked in, they saw many other teams, sitting down, glaring at them, the newcomers.

"Can we sit down, Kaira? These glares are starting to give me cold feet." Kimiko said, whispering to Kaira.

"Being scared of others won't do you any good, Kimi." Kaira laughed. Zai pulled Kimiko back from Kaira. "Fine." She turned away and started walking along wall, but they didn't move much. Kimiko started getting scared from all the eyes on her. Maybe they've never seen a ninja like her? She was pretty unique, you could say. Or maybe just because she looked weak.

The doors opened and more students kept pouring, gaining the attention that squad 9 once had. After the room was almost filled, squad 7 came walking in. Kaira smiled and leaned against the wall when she saw Sasuke.

_Hm? Ah, Shika! _Kimiko thought, seeing Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino walk towards squad 7. When did they come into room 301? Maybe they came in while Kimiko, Zai, and Kaira weren't watching, who knows. Kimiko pointed towards team 7 and team 10 and Kaira shook her head.

"We're here on business, not to socialize." Kaira lectured. Kimiko frowned and did her puppy-dog face. Kaira quickly looked away, realizing that, in the past 3 weeks, Kimiko has a strong puppy-dog look.

"Kaira's right, Kimiko." Zai cut in, stepping in front of Kaira. Zai was one of the few who could resist Kimiko's face. Kimiko then pouted and crossed her arms.

"No fair, Zai! Of course you'd take Kaira's side." Kimiko ranted. Zai looked back at Kaira, who nodded her thanks. Just then, Kaira looked up and saw team 8 approaching the other two teams.

"Y'know what? Never mind, you're right, Kimiko. Talking to our friends would relax us." Kaira finally said. Kimiko stared at Kaira, then looked at the other 9 rookies.

_Ooh I see what she's talking about._ Kimiko grinned, happily skipping over to the rookies. Zai and Kaira quickly followed behind their cheerful teammate. "Shika!" Kimiko called, going straight to Shikamaru.

"Oh, you guys are here too?" Shikamaru asked, looking past Kimi and at Zai and Kaira, who waved. Kimiko nodded enthusiastically. Shikamaru then saw Team 6 enter the room and he walked away from Kimiko and towards them.

_What the-? _Kimiko thought. _Oh, hey! It's that girl from the other day! Uh, what was her name again? Ah! Yamouri Kesaki! _Kimiko looked at Yamouri, walking back to the group with Shikamaru. _Hm?_ Kimiko looked past Yamouri and saw the rest of team 6, going to find a seat. _Huh. Who's that?_ Kimiko asked, starring at Neji Hyuuga. _He's so….mysterious._

"Hi, Kiba." Kaira greeted, stopping right by him. Hinata was startled by how Kaira just fit between them. Kiba looked over and smiled at Kaira.

_What's going on here! _All the other rookies thought in their heads. That's right, they don't know about the time Kiba helped Kaira and the beginning of their small friendship. At least they don't have the urge to knock each other out anymore. Well, it's not as huge of an urge.

"Oh, no." Shikamaru sighed, putting his hands in his pocket. Kimiko cocked her head to the side. What Shikamaru saw, was that Ino was grinning as she looked at Kaira and Kiba.

"Ooh, what's this?" Ino asked in a mocking tone. She looked at the tiny area of space that Kaira and Kiba had between them. Kaira noticed that Ino was talking about her, so she took a step forward.

"Shut up, Ino." Kaira hissed, making the atmosphere tense. "You always get rejected by Sasuke, and now you're trying to act like you know something? You don't know anything." Ino glared at Kaira, who just smirked. Sakura was standing to the right of Kaira, whereas Ino was to the left. Sakura was trying to hold back a laugh. Kaira noticed and directed her attention to Sakura. "Something funny, Sakura? _I_ think it's funny how you try to act superior to Ino when you're even worse. Sasuke only pays attention to you because you're on his squad. Nothing else. If you weren't on his squad, he'd treat you the same way as he treats Ino." Kaira huffed, crossing her arms smugly.

_Bold. Taking them both on. _Shikamaru thought.

_Is she suicidal! _Kimiko yelled in her head.

_It seems I like her more and more. _Kiba laughed in his mind.

"What did-"

"You say!"

Both Ino and Sakura leaped for Kaira, who didn't even flinch. As soon as they tried, the person near them grabbed them. Shikamaru grabbed Ino and held her back, while Naruto grabbed Sakura and held her back from Kaira.

"You're dead!" Sakura hissed.

"When I get my hands on you-!" Ino screamed. Kaira smirked and glared them.

"Is that so? Well, I'm ready!" Kaira said, her cat instincts arising.

_Kaira's angry!_ Kimiko thought, reaching for Kaira. Kaira looked at Kimiko and she froze. _When her eyes are slits, she looks scary._

Kaira raised her arm up to attack, but Kiba jumped forward and held Kaira back. "Let me go!" Kaira ordered, squirming just as much as the other girls.

_Kaira… _Sasuke shook his head as he watched the whole scene.

"Sakura, calm down." Naruto tried, but was unsuccessful.

"C'mon, Ino, get a hold of yourself." Shikamaru said, before looking back at Yamouri. Kimiko looked at all the angry girls and sighed.

_It seems only me and Hinata are the only calm ones here. _Kimiko shook her head.

"Meoww." Mei finally cut in. Everyone went quiet and looked down at Mei. The girls instantly hushed.

"I'm sorry, Mei." Kaira said, being released from Kiba's hold, but not fully.

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to Ino and Sakura?" Naruto asked, letting go of the calm Sakura now. Kaira gave Naruto a look like he was crazy.

"No." Kaira replied, then resumed petting Mei.

"She's not worth it." Ino huffed, crossing her arms as Shikamaru let her go.

"You rookies are causing a scene." Said a boy with silver hair and glasses. Kaira picked up Mei and looked at the newcomer.

"Who're you?" Naruto asked, stepping forward. Kaira pouted as she grabbed Kimiko and Zai away from the crowd.

"C'mon, let's go sit down." Kaira whispered.

"He looks like he has something interesting to say." Zai said, pouting to the silver haired boy. Kaira shook her head.

"Let's go." She insisted. Zai nodded, openly obeying Kaira.

"You two go ahead, I'll stay here for while." Kimiko replied. Kaira stared at Kimiko. "I'll be right here when it's over." Kimiko pleaded.

"Fine." Kaira puffed. Kimiko smiled and returned to the other 9 rookies. Kaira and Zai went to find a seat close. When they did, they quickly sat, but decided not to say a word, fearing they might be attacked in this crowd of strangers. They can see why Kimiko wanted to stay behind.

"Kaira, I-"

"Ssh, Zai." Kaira hushed. Zai leaned towards her when he started talking. "I have a favor to ask of you." Zai nodded slowly. "I want you to read as much of these kids' chakras as you can."

"I can do that." Zai whispered back. Kaira smiled and nodded as Zai closed his eyes and concentrated. Kaira leaned back and put Mei in her lap.

"Meow."

"I know, Mei, I know." Kaira smiled, hugging her feline.

"Meow."

"You're so smart." Kaira squealed.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I will not lose to any of you!" Naruto yelled, pointing to the large crowd. Kaira and Mei looked at Naruto and Zai opened his eyes.

"He's got guts." Zai muttered. Kaira smiled and nodded.

"I like him." Kaira said, startling Zai.

"B-But, Kaira!" Zai tried, but Kaira shut him up by smiling at him. He eventually closed his eyes and returned to reading people's chakras. Kaira kept smiling as she watched Sakura and Ino fight, but her smile faded when Sakura started choking Naruto. She was apologizing to the crowd for Naruto.

_Pfft. Taking back what he said is such a wimp's move. She should have just left it. It would have made it more epic. _Kaira mused. _Hmm? _Kaira looked over to the large crowd surrounding her.

"Meow?" Mei asked, feeling the same thing Kaira felt.

_Mei's right. It's the sound ninja. _Kaira deduced. _But what would they want?_ Kaira asked. Her question was soon answered when the sound ninja started attacking the silver haired boy with the other rookies. Kaira jumped up when she saw it. _Wait, that boy dodged that attack. _Kaira crossed her arms. _Guess the sound ninja aren't as fast as they think…. Huh? _Kaira looked up and saw the boy throwing up. _What the-? They didn't touch him though!_

_These chakras are strong. _Zai thought, forcing his eyes to stay closed when he wanted to look at who they belonged to.

"Thanks for waiting." A man, the first instructor, appearing in front of the room with many more adults behind him. "My name is Ibiki Murino. And I will be your first instructor for this exam." He said. He looked at the sound ninja. "There will be no fighting unless you have permission from the instructor, if you do not obey, you will immediately fail." Kaira quickly turned around and touched Zai's hair. He blushed and opened his eyes.

"Looks like the instructor here." Kaira said. Zai looked up to the front.

"He sure looks scary." Zai observed. Ibiki soon told all the squads that they have to give the people at the front their permission slips and when they do, to pick up a number and their paper exam. "Paper exam?" Zai repeated. Kaira clapped.

"This'll be good." Kaira said, smirking. "Zai, you're smart, so you should be able to do great on this. As for Kimiko and I…" Kaira glanced at Kimiko, who was walking towards them. "Well, good luck." Kaira said, giving him a thumbs up sign.

"Are you implying you aren't very smart, Kaira!" Zai rose.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting. Shizuka-sensei gave me the permission, so we should go get our test." Kimiko said, budding into Kaira and Zai's conversation.

"Right!" Kaira said, watching other squads going to get their tests. Team 9 got into the line right behind an older looking squad and waited and waited till they reached the front of the line.

"Application?" asked one of the guards. Kimiko handed them the slip and they looked it over before giving them each a test. "Here's you number." He said, giving each on a different number. They all walked away from the front and looked around for their table.

"What's your number, Kimiko?" Kaira asked, peeking over Kimiko's shoulder.

"24." Kimiko shrugged. "Guess I'm sitting near the front." Kimiko whined, quickly finding her seat.

"Good luck, Kimi!" Kaira cheered, waving as she walked past her. "What about you, Zai?"

"…"

"Zai?" Kaira asked. Zai made a face as he showed Kaira his number. "Ooh!" Zai's number was 1. "You're in the first seat in the corner up there." Kaira tried to sound cheery, but it didn't help Zai any.

"What's your number, Kaira?" Zai asked. Kaira looked down at her number.

"60." Kaira read. "Zai, shouldn't you take your seat?"

"I'll walk you to your seat, first." Zai replied. Kaira half-smiled in an annoyed sorta way. She was just trying to be nice, she doesn't want him thinking anything more.

"It's fine, go take your seat. You need to pass this test, for Kimi and my sake." Kaira said, gently touching his arm. Though she doesn't want him thinking anything more, she doesn't know what she's doing.

"Okay." Zai said, quickly taking off from embarrassment. Kaira cocked her head to the side.

_Such an odd boy. _Kaira viewed. She shrugged it off and looked around the rows of tables. _60. 60. 60. Oh there it is._ Kaira smiled as she took her seat, three away from the aisle. She had a boy sitting to her left, but no one to her right. Everyone around her started finding their seats and nearly all the seats were filled up.

"No way."

_Oh, please don't let that voice be…_ Kaira looked up. _Kiba…_ Standing above Kaira was Kiba, with Akamaru of course.

"This isn't really your seat is it?" Kiba asked, sitting down to the exact right of her. "Look, I may like you a little bit, but I still can't stand sitting next to you." Kiba said.

"Yeah? Well same here!" Kaira hissed, quickly looked away from him. "I should ask for someone to switch with me." Kaira mumbled.

_Out of everyone here, why did I end up getting stuck sitting next to her! _Kiba commented in his head.

"Arf!"

"Meow."

"As long as you're happy, Mei." Kaira easily smiled when the subject turned to Mei. "Mei said I should put up with you because Mei is thankful for you helping me, so…" Kaira faded out. Kiba looked at Mei, in Kaira's lap, and smiled at her.

"You're so cute, Mei." Kiba said, reaching over and petting Mei.

"Arf, arf!"

Out-of-nowhere, their instructor started explained the rules for the exam. How there are 10 questions and if you were caught cheating, it'll be a 2 point deduction and if you reach zero, you and your team will be disqualified.

_That's a lot of pressure on the team. _Kaira thought. _10 questions, 10 points, you can't blow this, Kaira._ Kaira side-glanced at Kiba, who was just listening attentively.

"You may begin… NOW!"

_Eh? Wait! Now? _Kaira flipped over her paper and read the questions carefully and very slowly. _T-This isn't… this isn't genin level questions!_ Kaira cried, clenching her fist. _How can anyone answer these…?_

Zai, in seat number 1, started answering all the questions. _These questions are so easy for me. I'm glad I always studied._

Kimiko read the question and rolled her eyes. _He said no cheating, so I guess I'll do it in a way that won't get caught. _Kimiko secretly looked around and saw someone who was answering the questions already. _There we go. I won't let you down, Kaira and Zai!_ Kimiko closed her eyes. _I'm glad Shizuka taught me her mind reading jutsu, though…_ Kimiko started sweating _I can only hold it for 5 minutes…_ Kimiko thought as she entered the person's mind.

Kaira looked down at Mei, who was licking her paw. _Oh, Mei, I just don't know what to do. _Kaira complained. She glanced at Kiba and saw him whispering to Akamaru. _That idiot is cheating! Though I must admit, that's a clever way of cheating; no one would suspect it._ Kaira nodded. _Mr. Ibiki said no cheating though, well, he said we'll get panelized 2 points for getting __**caught. **__So, as long as I don't get caught, it'll be fine, won't it? _Kaira touched Mei's ear and Mei got up.

"Meow?"

"Can you get me the answers from Kiba's paper?" Kaira asked, whispering. Mei looked over at Kiba and nodded. Mei jumped on the table and started stretching, secretly peeking at Kiba's paper while she was doing so.

"Meow, meow, meoww."

Kaira quickly wrote the answer that Mei just told her. Mei continued stretching.

"Meow, meow."

Kaira wrote more._ With Mei, this will be easy._

**.:40 Minutes Later:.**

"Alright, I will now reveal the 10th question." Ibiki said, making the remaining squads stop writing and look at him. Over have the squads they started off with here already disqualified. Thankfully, all the rookies were still hanging in there. "I will give you a choice to answer the 10th question, you don't, you and your team will instantly be disqualified."

Many kids said they're obvious answer the 10th question.

"If you choose to take the question, but get it wrong, you'll be stuck as a genin forever. You'll never be able to take the exam again." He finished.

_What! That makes things more difficult…_ Kaira thought, biting her lip.

"That's bull! There are kids here who have taken the exam before and failed, but they're still taking it over." Kiba busted out, standing up and pointing towards the instructor.

"Well, I wasn't their instructor before, so I'm changing the original rules." Ibiki answered. Kiba just stared in awe. Kaira reached up, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to sit down again.

"Relax, Kiba, it's your choice now." Kaira whispered, surprised Kiba.

"If you wish to not answer the 10th question, please raise your hand." Ibiki said. A large amount of hands were raised.

"Aren't you going to raise your hand, Kaira?" Kiba asked, looking at her.

"Of course not. My team and I are going all the way." Kaira smirked confidently. Kiba's smug smile appeared on his face before facing forward. _Naruto?_ Kaira saw Naruto raise his hand. _What is he doing?_ Suddenly he slammed his hand down and talked about how a ninja never goes back on his word. _He sure is amazing. _Kaira smiled.

_You have my respect, Naruto. _Kimiko said, crossing her arms. Even Zai smiled at Naruto's courage.

"Congratulations, you all past the first part of the exam." Ibiki said.

"W-What? How?" Kaira asked.

"That was the last question." Ibiki said. Kaira looked down at Mei who cuddled against her.

"I don't get it. How was that the last question?" Kimiko asked, piping up.

**.:10 Minutes Later:.**

_I get it! _Kimiko smiled and nodded her head. Zai was spacing off and Kaira was playing with Mei and making fun of Kiba. Poor Kimiko was probably the last person in the room to understand what Ibiki meant.

Suddenly the side wall broke and a sign appeared before all the students. "Everybody, there's not time to be happy. I am the second examiner, Anko Mitarashi! Let's go to the next exam. Follow me!" The woman says. Everyone in the room is either too stupefied to say anything.

_Wow, she's so pretty! _Kimiko squealed, putting her hands together and admiring Anko. Anko then complained to Ibiki about the large number of students who passed the first exam.

"She's a show-off, Kaira, reminds me of you." Kiba said, finally paying her back fro calling him names to Mei. Kaira jumped and glared at him.

"Don't push it." Kaira warned. Kiba grinned and Anko returned to talking to the room.

"I'm going to make more than half of the teams fail in the next exam. I will explain the details tomorrow. I will tell your teachers were we will meet at. Dismissed."

**.:The Next Day:.**

All the remaining teams meet at a training ground for higher ranked ninja. Many of the teams already start getting scared.

"Kaira, this looks scary!" Kimi whined to their team leader. Kaira crossed her arms and weighed her head.

"You're right." Kaira agreed.

"You two are such girl." Zai said in a monotone. "Kaira, where's your confidence? Yesterday you kept saying how we'd beat everyone here." Zai forced. Kaira blinked and nodded.

"You're right, Zai! We will beat everyone!" Kaira agreed.

_You were the one who said it first, though… _Zai rolled his eyes.

"This is where the second part of the exam will take place." Anko said, appearing in front of the crowd. "The 44th training area… also known as the Forest of Death."

"Did you hear that, Kaira? That doesn't sounds good!" Kimiko cried.

"Kimi, don't worry, we'll all be together." Kaira tried, not sure about Kimiko.

"I'll need to have everyone sign these consent forms. Just in case anyone dies, so I won't be held responsible." Anko laughed like it was just a joke, but on a completely serious manner.

When Zai got his paper, he quickly looked at Kaira. He was pretty shaken up too, from what Anko just said.

_I have to stay strong, for the sake of this team. _Kaira sighed, signing the paper and urging her teammates to do so too. _I just wish my team wasn't relying on me so much…_ Anko to finish explaining the rules.

"Each team will be given either a heaven or earth scroll and your objective is to get the scroll you don't have. When you get the scroll, you must reach the tower, in the middle of the forest. There are 44 locked gates which circle around the forest of death in which the participants simultaneously use to enter the forest. There is a river, forest, and a tower in the middle. Each scroll is given out in secret so no other teams would know what scroll the other team has, and which person is carrying the scroll. You lose if someone on your team is killed, tries to open the scroll or doesn't make it to the tower with both scrolls."

Many teams shivered at the rules.

"Anything goes to get the scrolls." Anko finished. "Turn in three consent forms in exchange for your scroll and gate number in the tent over there." Anko said, pointing at the gate. Everyone nodded as Anko went inside the tent. Team 9 waited around until many other teams already got their scroll and gate numbers.

Kaira gather her team's slips and went into the tent and handed them to Anko.

"Oh, a tough girl, huh?" Anko questioned, studying Kaira. "Are you trying to act tough for your team?" Kaira flinched. "You shouldn't burden yourself, you know." Anko grinned.

"It's my choice." Kaira replied. Anko handed Kaira her team scroll and their gate number. "Thank you." Kaira said, walking out of the tent and running into Sasuke. Kaira covered the scroll with the cloth Anko gave her with it.

"Oh, hello, Kaira." Sasuke said. Kaira blushed and backed away from Sasuke. "You haven't talked to me at all during the exam, are you avoiding me?" Kaira jumped and shook her head.

"Of course not, Sasuke! You just seem to busy, that's all." Kaira replied. "I'm really glad you past the first part of the exam."

"It was no problem since you were cheering for me and all." Sasuke said, smirking as he remembered what she said the say before the exam. "Well, I guess I better get the team's scroll and gate number." He said, looking past Kaira.

"Oh, right." Kaira said, walking past him. "I'll still be cheering for you." Kaira smiled. "Stay safe, Sasuke and… good luck." Kaira said gently. Sasuke nodded.

"Stay alive, Kaira. I'll see you in the third round." Sasuke said, waving as he walked into the tent. Kaira smiled as she walked back to her team.

"What's our gate number, Kaira?" Zai asked, taking the paper from her.

"Hey, Kaira," Kiba and team 8 said, walking over to them. Zai jumped and hid the paper.

"Oh, hi, Kiba.." Kaira replied in a confused tone.

"I just… wanted to say… good luck." Kiba forced out. Hinata and Shino looked at each other.

"Oh, well, thank you. I hope you do good as well." Kaira smiled and Kiba nodded.

"Let's go." Kiba said to his teammates, who nodded and followed him away.

"Why did Kiba just come to say good luck?" Kimiko asked suspiciously. Kaira rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Gate 12." Zai whispered. Kimiko and Kaira looked at one another. Now to find their gate and they're off! The team was starting to get scared and looking at Kaira for support, but then team 9 looked down at Mei.

"Meow!"

"Mei's right." Kaira cheered.

"Yeah, we have to give it our all." Kimiko added. Zai smiled and nodded.


	10. Team 9 vs Forest of Death

Team 9 found their gate and stood there, waiting for the man to open it and let them through.

"So, we'll just stay on course and hope we come across someone with the opposite scroll?" Zai asked. Kaira shook her head.

"I don't think we'll get the right scroll that way." Kaira said.

"We could go look for teams." Kimiko offered.

"We might run into a ruthless team." Kaira shook her head. Zai and Kimiko glanced at each other.

"Don't you trust us, Kaira?" Kimiko asked.

"Yeah, together we can take down any team. Don't forget the harsh training Shizuka-sensei put us through." Zai reminded. Kaira smiled at her trustworthy team.

"Meow."

Kaira was holding Mei in her arms, scared for Mei to be on the ground during the exam. "You're right. I'm sorry, Kimi, Zai." Kaira nodded. Kimiko and Zai smiled.

"Okay." the man said, opening the gate. "You may begin!" Team 9 exchanged looks before diving into the Forest of Death. They instantly noticed the overgrown trees, dark atmosphere, and deadly bugs crawling all over. They raced past many trees until they grew a safe distance.

"Kimi," Kaira said, searching for the scroll, "I want you to hold the scroll." Kaira said, handing it to Kimiko.

"Oh, thank you very much, Kaira." Kimiko replied, all smiles. She was glad to have Kaira pick her for the scroll holder. Kimiko unwrapped the scroll. "It's a heaven scroll, so we need an earth scroll." Kimiko said, wrapping it back up and putting in on her back.

"What are we waiting for?" Zai asked, grabbing Kimiko's hand and pulling his sister along.

"Wait, Zai!" Kaira called, chasing after her team. Zai was anxious to put his training to work, and to try to impress Kaira.

"Most of the other teams entered before us, so there are a lot of teams in here already!" Zai said. "Focus on getting the scroll, then getting to the middle?" Zai asked, looking back at Kaira.

_Very smart. _Kaira smirked, catching up to them. "That's our plan." Kaira agreed, taking the lead. "C'mon, Zai, I know you can go faster." Kaira teased. Zai smirked and sped up.

_Are they disregarding me? _Kimiko thought, flying threw the air with Zai. _Ah well, it's a free ride, I guess. _Kimiko shrugged.

**.:3 Hours Later:.**

"We've been going running nonstop, shouldn't we have run into another squad by now?" Kimiko asked, finally free from Zai and running on her own. "I bet the other rookies already got action, so why are we so slow?" Kimiko whined.

"Kimiko, relax, I bet others are having trouble like us." Zai said in an annoyed tone.

"No, there is something strange about this." Kaira agreed. Kimiko stuck out her tongue and Zai glared at her. Kaira stopped on a large tree branch and the twins stopped too. Kaira looked around swiftly before looking down at Mei.

"Meoww."

"What!" Kimiko uttered.

"I had a feeling someone was following us for awhile now." Kaira snapped her fingers. As soon as she snapped them, kunais with bombs came flying between the four of them and stuck on the tree. "Aw, man!" Kaira quickly grabbed Mei and jumped away.

"Geez!" Kimiko screamed, retreating. Zai swore and followed Kimiko's lead. The bombs exploded right after they took off. They were almost caught in the blast, but Kimiko quickly turned around. "Mirror Barrier." Kimiko rushed, putting her hands up and it made a mirror that repelled the explosion. "Phew, close one." Kimiko sighed, her and Zai landing on a nearby tree branch. "You alright, Zai?" Kimiko asked, turned to Zai.

"I'm fine." He replied. "Where's Kaira?"

"Sorry, about that." Kaira said, landing right before them. Then more kunais and bombs came. "Not again!" Kaira moaned, jumping again. "Zai, you and Mei go find them. When you find them, I'll switch places with her." Kaira ordered. Zai nodded, quickly taking Mei and running towards the direction of the kunais.

"What about me?" Kimiko asked, running up the tree to dodge the bomb. Kaira found another tree branch as she backed up against the tree body.

"You have the scroll, so we have to protect you." Kaira whispered, ducking as a bomb was thrown at her face. "Though it might be obvious for not letting you fight." Kaira smiled, crawling around the tree. "Besides," Kaira reached Kimiko and smiled as they stood on the trunk of the tree without falling. "They must not be that strong since they are only throwing bombs at us."

"Point." Kimiko nodded.

"Hm? They found them so quickly, maybe that's why the bombs stopped." Kaira said. "Cat-Companion Switch!" Kaira said, closing her eyes.

"Kaira!" Zai yelled. Kaira opened her eyes and saw three mist ninja rushing for Zai.

_Mist Ninja, huh?_ Kaira thought, bending down. _Sounds easy. _Kaira smiled as her cat instincts starting appearing.

"Ninja Art, Acid Rotation." Zai yelled, spitting acid from his mouth, towards the mist.

"What the-?" shouted one, jumping away from him and right into Kaira.

"Seriously?" Kaira asked, whispering it into ear. He jumped and quickly turned around and put a kunai threw Kaira's head.

A log. Substitution jutsu.

Then the real Kaira appeared right behind him and put her sharp claws to his chest and gave him a long, deep cut. He let out a scream of pain as he started bleeding.

"Hm?" Kaira said once he fell to the floor. "Did I overdo it?" Kaira asked shyly, blushing from embarrassment. She looked at her blood-soaked fingers and shivered. In that instant, Kaira let her guard down.

The second and third member of the mist leaped for Kaira, who still didn't notice.

"Kaira!" Zai yelled, waking Kaira from her pause. "Ninja Art, Acid Rotation!" Zai spat more acid and aimed for the second member. He missed, but the acid landed on the tree and it melted the part away. _Damn! When Shizuka-sensei taught me this jutsu, she did mention is would be hard to control at first, but…_

"Leaf Tornado!" Kimiko said, appearing from under the branch. The leaves on the tree above came raining down onto the two mist ninja.

"Huh?" Kaira asked, noticing her two enemies being engulfed in the leaves, that were sharpened like razors from the jutsu. _It's no fair that Shizuka-sensei taught Kimiko the strong jutsus._ Kaira pouted.

"How's that, Kaira?" Kimiko giggled, twirling around.

"Meow!" Mei came from the same place as Kimiko.

"You wanna finish off these small fry?" Kimiko asked, snapping her finger and releasing the jutsu. The two mist ninja fell to the branch and were all bloody from cuts all over their body.

"You sure did a number on them, Kimiko…" Kaira shivered.

"Are you crazy! Kimiko, you totally overdid it! Shizuka-sensei said to only use that jutsu in case of emergency!" Zai yelled. Kimiko nodded and rolled her eyes.

"It was an emergency, Zai! They were going to kill Kaira!" Kimiko fought.

"They weren't so much kill her as injure her!" Zai growled.

"You don't know that, some of these teams are deadly and brutal!" Kimiko hissed. Kaira sighed as she walked over to each of the fallen mist and checked around for the scroll. "You're lucky I was here, it didn't look like you were going to save her any!" Zai backed up and flushed from humiliation.

"My jutsu is hard to control!" Zai gave a quick excuse.

"Mine was even harder!" Kimiko screamed.

"Both of you, please," Kaira said, walking towards them, holding the Mist's scroll. "Here's their scroll, it's all we want." Kaira said, unfolded it.

"It's another heaven scroll." Zai was the first to say the obvious. Kimiko sighed out her anger before making more hand signs and bringing more leaves back to life. "Kimiko, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill them for wasting out time." Kimiko said coldly.

"No, Kimiko, don't do that!" Kaira yelled. Kimiko looked at Kaira and released her jutsu. Kimiko smiled and Zai rolled his eyes.

"If you say so." Kimiko cheered. Kaira sighed as she handed Kimiko the extra heaven scroll.

"Let's keep searching. I'm sure the next team we run into will have the earth scroll." Kaira said.

"Be careful, next time, Kaira." Zai warned.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Kaira replied. "It was my fault after all," Kaira said, looking down. She then looked back up and smiled really wide. "He might die from loss of blood."

_S-She really is scary! _Kimiko shivered.

_Kaira maybe killing someone, then Kimiko wanting to kill the remaining. Am I surrounded by crazy girls? _Zai whined.

"I'm kidding, he'll be fine." Kaira added. "Hopefully." She whispered. "Well! Let's get going again!" Kaira said, jumping to another branch. Kimiko and Zai exchanged looked before following Kaira and Mei.

They kept going for about 2 hours more, only stopping to take a break. Though, the day was already quickly coming to an end.

"I think we're making good progress." Kaira smiled, leaning against the tree. Kimiko shrugged as she took a seat on a different tree branch as Kaira. Finally, Zai was on another branch, making them on different branches. He was inspecting his weapons.

"The instructor said this would be hard, didn't she?" Kimiko asked. Mei jumped over to Zai's branch and rubbed against his leg. He smiled and petted Mei.

"Well, yeah, she also said people would die." Kaira said.

"That proctor is so cool." Kimiko admired. Zai rolled his eyes and returned to his weapons. "She did say anything goes, so maybe some teams kills others." Kimiko wondered. Team 9 shivered just thinking about it.

"If they come near us, I'll paralyze them with my razor-sharp barrage!" Zai said confidently. Kaira and Kimiko rose their eyebrow and looked at each other. "I'll show you, it's like this!" Zai said, putting many kunais and shurikans in his hands, between his fingers.

"Oh, no, Zai!" Kimiko screeched. Zai flung his kunai and shurikans at the branch that both Kaira and Kimiko were on. Both flinched when he threw them. There were a lot stuck in each branch. "You're lucky that they didn't hit either on of us, you idiot!" Kimiko ranted. Kaira took a deep breath, agreeing with Kimiko. Suddenly, they heard a crack. "What was-"

"Aaahhhhhhh!" Kaira screamed as the branch under her broke and she started falling from way up high.

"Oh, no, Kaira!" Kimiko screamed, crawling over the edge and seeing Kaira fall. "Zai, you idiot, look at what you've done!" Kimiko shot Zai an evil look. "Eh?" Kimiko uttered, hearing her own branch crack. "Aaahhhhhhh!" Kimiko screamed as she joined Kaira in falling.

"Kaira! Kimiko!" Zai yelled, looking down at them. "Aw, dammit!" Zai ran this finger threw his hair, not knowing what to do.

"Meow!" Mei meowed, nudging Zai. Zai nodded as he picked up Mei and finding a way down.

_What will I do? I can't do anything while in the air like this! And I can't use my cat reflexes because landing from that far up will surely hurt my legs and I can't do that! _Kaira thought, closing her eyes. _But if I don't do anything, I'm going to land and falling from where I was will kill me! Hm? I heard Kimiko's scream, so did she fall too? Ah! I don't know what to do. I guess hurting my legs is better than dying! _Kaira opened her eyes and looked down, being able to see the ground, but when she looked, she saw three small figures standing by where she would land. _Dang! There's another squad by where I'd land! If I break my legs, they'd surely kill me. Good thing Kimiko isn't here so they can't take our scroll, but if I die, my team fails…_

Kaira was took busy thinking that she forgot she was nearing the floor of the forest. Nearing, nearing, nearing…

…_I just don't know what to do! This is all Zai's fault. Oh, geez! …huh? _Kaira suddenly felt arms around her, catching her. She was being held bridal style by something… or someone. Kaira opened her eyes slowly, scared of who it might be.

"It's not safe to fall from the sky, you know that right?" Kiba asked, clearly amused. Kaira felt her face heat up instantly.

_NO WAY! _She screamed in her head. Then she felt dizzy.

"Kaira, are you alright?" Kiba asked, immune to her strange behavior.

"Aahh!" Kimiko's yell came closer and closer. It was like an alarm clock for Kaira.

"Oh, no, Kimi!" Kaira worried. She looked up and saw Kimiko falling threw the trees and coming close to them. Kimiko landed safely in a bed of Shino's bugs. As soon as she was caught, Kimiko quickly sat up, completely freaked out by the bugs. "Thank goodness." Kaira murmured.

"Why does Kaira get a hot guy catching her, while I get bugs?" Kimiko asked, falling back into the bugs, too tired to care now. "Thanks, Shino." Kimiko yawned. Kaira's blush now was too much, she fainted.

"Hm? Kaira?" Kiba asked, looking down at the fainted girl. Kaira was somewhat like Hinata right now. Kimiko sat back up and got up from the bed of bugs. She staggered over to Shino and smiled.

"I owe you one." Kimiko said. Shino just nodded and let the bugs disperse. "It's strange how we ran into each other." Kimiko said to squad 8.

"W-We heard screaming." Hinata said, being her meek self.

"We figured someone must be attacking someone else, but Hinata saw you two falling." Kiba explained. "Why were you two falling, exactly?"

"My dim-witted brother was trying to show us an attack, but failed miserably and hit the branches Kaira and I were on. So they broke and, well, you know the rest." Kimiko shrugged. "If you guys weren't here, Kaira and I would be dead. So, thank you very much." Kimiko said, bowing.

"No problem." Kiba said, smirking. Kimiko then looked at Kiba and Kaira.

"Are you going to put her down?" Kimiko asked, raising an eyebrow. Kiba jumped.

"Kimiko! Kaira!" Zai yelled, jumping down from a low branch and running towards them and team 8. "Team 8?" Zai questioned. Kimiko smiled sweetly as Zai approached.

"Please cover the children's eyes." Kimiko said through gritted teeth. She past Kiba and Hinata and went straight for Zai.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, Kimi." Zai sighed. "Where's Kaira?" Zai asked, looking past Kimiko.

"You are so stupid!" Kimiko asked, attacking Zai. Zai yelled for help, but Squad 8 didn't dare to intervene when Kimiko was so angry.

"Urrrggh." Kaira mumbled, waking up from her short time of being unconscious. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Kiba and Akamaru. "That's right…" Kaira muttered. Kiba smiled when she woke and he finally put her down. "Thank you, Kiba. You have helped me again." Kaira said.

"Again?" Shino repeated. Kaira spun around and saw Shino.

"Ah, Shino, I haven't seen you in awhile." Kaira said.

"I saw you yesterday, at the test." Shino replied.

"Ah, right." Kaira tried.

"K-Kaira…!" Zai yelled. Kaira jumped and saw Kimiko showing Zai no mercy.

"Kimiko, you're going to kill him!" Kaira cried, rushing over and saving Zai. Kimiko crossed her arms.

"I was going to stop, anyways." Kimiko huffed. Kaira looked at Zai, who was already pretty beaten up by Kimiko.

"You're the younger sister, too, geezzz!" Kaira moaned.

"Meow!"

"Mei!" Kaira pushed Zai aside as she hugged Mei.

"I'd hate to interrupt, but we better get going." Kiba cut in. Kaira look over at Kiba, who was followed by Hinata and Shino.

"Meow. Meow?"

"What is it, Mei?" Kaira asked. Mei jumped out of Kaira's arms and onto the floor. There was a small black bug crawling around. Mei pounced on it and started playing with it. Shino flinched as Mei did so.

"We'll see you in a bit; at the tower." Kiba said, smirking at Kaira.

"Arf!"

"Right." Kaira nodded, and grinned. "Thanks, again, Kiba. I'm glad you caught me." Kaira said, smiling gently. Kiba flinched and blushed before taking off with his squad. Hinata and Shino both noticed Kiba's blush, not to mention, the way he said he'd catch Kaira by himself, before she landed, but they'd never say anything about it.

"My suspicions just keep growing." Kimiko nodded, her arms crossed. Kaira looked over Zai and shook her head.

"We'd better get going too." Kaira said. "C'mon, Zai, you're not that beat up." Kaira urged.

"I-I'm sorry for making you two fall." Zai said.

"Eh, it's in the past now. Beside," Kimiko smirked. "Making us fall gave us a run-in with Squad 8 and a moment between Kaira and Kiba." Kaira blushed, something that has been happening more than ever before lately.

"S-Shut up, Kimi, I told you nothing's happening!" Kaira insisted.

"Sure, sure." Kimiko waved it off. "You can restore chakra, huh?" Kimiko asked Kaira, who just nodded. Kimiko walked over to Zai and took his hand in hers. Her light blue chakra started turning a brighter blue as it entered him. Kimiko was turning her chakra into his and changing it into energy for him.

"Thanks, Kimiko." Zai said, instantly healed when she was finished. He looked spotless now. Kimiko huffed as she took Kaira's hand now. Kaira began healing her chakra. When they were finished, they continued off.

**.:1 Day Later:.**

"Meow!" Mei screeched. Team 9 immediately stopped when Mei did that.

"Mei, are you alright?" Kaira asked, worried.

"Meow, meow, meow, meoww!"

"Sasuke?" Kimiko asked.

"What happened to him?" Kaira asked, urgently. Mei then closed her eyes, falling asleep right away. "Something bad." Kaira gasped, falling to her knees.

"How does Mei know?" Zai asked curiously. Kimiko nodded, wanting to know.

"Mei always knows if something bad happens to the ones she likes. So far, she's watching Kimiko, Zai, Shizuka, Sasuke, Kiba, and me. If anything happens to anyone of those, she gets a feelings. It's strange how she knows, but she just does." Kaira explained.

"Look at what we have here." came a voice. Kimiko, Zai, and Kaira jumped as they saw three ninja land on a branch near them. They wore stone insignia. They were from the village hidden in the stones.

"They must be one of the rookie teams; they look weak." laughed the girl of the three. "Want to take care of them, Moto?" the girl asked, looking at the last of the three.

"If you and Ritsu don't want them, then I'll gladly take them." Moto smiled, pulling out a kunai.

"You think you only need a kunai to beat us?" Kimiko mocked. Kimiko helped Kaira up, who held the sleeping Mei.

"Maybe we could let you live, if you give us a Heaven scroll." Ritsu, the leader, compromised. "Of course, if you don't have one, then we'll kill you then."

"Kaira, they need a heaven scroll." Kimiko whispered. "Meaning they have an earth scroll!"

_We have two heaven scrolls, so we could give them one and they'll leave. They look tough, I actually doubt we stand a chance, even with Kimiko's amazing jutsu and Zai's awesome accuracy, expect for his new jutsu… other than that! We could always win, but, this squad looks like veterans. Then again, they have a earth scroll and we might not run into one again, so we must take our chances. _Kaira thought, glaring at the other team.

"Go get them, Moto." the girl said.

"Naggy as always, I see, Tone." Moto mumbled.

"What was that!" Tone screeched. Zai looked at Kimiko, thinking they were similar. "Hurry and do it, or I will, like the last squad." This, made Team 9 freeze in their spot.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Moto said, landing next to Kimiko. Kaira jumped as she turned to see him grab Kimiko and the scrolls. "It's so easy to figure out who carries the scrolls." He attempted to attack Kimiko, but she used her substitution jutsu. "Clever one, huh?"

"Zai!" Kimiko called from above them. Zai nodded.

"Ninja Art, Acid Rotation!" Zai said, aiming, close range, at Moto. Kaira jumped out of the way. Zai toned down his original acid, not really wanting to burn their opponent.

"Wha-?" Moto turned, but it was too late. Zai's acid sprayed on Moto's torso area. It burned Moto as he yelled and fell back.

"That idiot." Tone hissed, catching Moto from falling off the edge. She was so quick to him. Moto kept yelling from the pain. "You're so useless." Tone hissed, tossing Moto over to Ritsu's feet. "I got this." Tone said, quickly turning around, grabbing the back of Zai's head, and kneeing him in the stomach.

"Zai!" Kimiko cried as her brother spat out blood. Tone released him and he fell to the branch, gripping his stomach. Kimiko jumped down and went to her brother's side. "Are you alright? Can you breath?" Kimiko bombarded, looking over her brother with worried eyes.

"These rookies are no problem." Tone laughed, gliding over to Kimiko. "You worried about your big brother?" Tone mocked, bending over and grinning. Kimiko looked up to Tone and started shaking.

"Kimiko!" Kaira sobbed. _I can't really do anything when Mei is asleep like this, but she won't wake up! _Kaira set Mei down right by the body of the tree. Kaira had her cat instincts as she dashed for Tone.

"Ah," Tone said, spinning around and stopping Kaira's claws with a kunai. "A Nekoosa, huh?"

"Tone, take the cat, I'll take care of these two." Ritsu said, stepping over Moto and towards Kimiko and Zai.

"Sure thing." Tone chirped. She jumped away from Kaira. "This'll be easy, she doesn't even have her cat!" Tone laughed.

"You have the scroll, so hand it over." Ritsu said, standing over Kimiko and Zai. Kimiko had trouble getting up, but she did. She then helped Zai up. "I'm the leader of this squad, so if you think Tone is strong, then-"

"Uh, Ritsu?" Tone asked. Kimiko and Zai looked past Ritsu. When they saw Kaira, holding Tone and putting her sharp claw to Tone's neck, they smirked. Ritsu quickly turned around and saw the scene.

"It's only been a few seconds!" Ritsu moaned. "Tone, I had faith in you, but you lost it now."

"I take it you have the scroll then." Kimiko said. Ritsu jumped and grinned. "To be a team, you need teamwork." Kimiko lectured.

"You talked tough, but you were just bluffing." Zai shrugged. Ritsu then made hand signs.

"Rock barrage." Ritsu said.

"Hey! That sounds like my leaf tornado!" Kimiko said, excitedly. "Wait, then that means…" Rocks came all the way up from the ground and came up from behind Kimiko and Zai. "Not again…" Kimiko moaned, putting up her hands. "Mirror Barrier!" The rocks all fell atop the barrier.

"You do know that rocks break mirror, right?" Ritsu smirked. As soon as the rocks made contact with the barrier, it broke through it.

Zai cursed and Kimiko screamed as the rocked covered them.

"Kimiko! Zai!" Kaira screamed, throwing Tone to the side and running to the pile of rocks completely covering her team. Ritsu grabbed Kaira's arm and pulled her over to him, quickly putting his kunai to her neck.

"I'll kill you, then I'll take your team's scroll." Ritsu whispered. Kaira saw Mei moving out of the corner of her eye. Kaira then closed her eyes.

"Cat-Companion Body Switch." Kaira whispered, barely audible.

"What did you say?" Ritsu snapped. Kaira then opened her eyes and saw she was in Mei's body. Mei, as Kaira, whipped around and pushed Ritsu away in the blink of an eye. "What?" Mei used Kaira's instincts as she pounced on Ritsu.

"Ritsu!" Tone yelled, taking out shurikans and throwing it at Mei's back. Kaira flinched, seeing her body take the shurikans hit.

_That's gonna hurt. _Kaira thought in Mei's body. Mei rose her hand up in the air and swiped down, scratching Ritsu's face in the process. _Mei! Geez, she's so harsh._ Ritsu yelled and grabbed his face. Mei got up and looked at Tone, who flinched and took a step back.

"I wouldn't want to mess with Mei right now." Kimiko said. Kaira jumped and saw the tree branch forming into Kimiko and Zai.

_That's right. Kimiko can sink into the earth. _Kaira sighed. _That scared me. I thought they were goners. _

"Leaf Tornado." Kimiko huffed as Zai held Mei back from attacking. Leafs came off the tree and surrounded Tone, Ritsu, and Moto.

"You rookies are unstoppable." Tone muttered. Kimiko smiled.

"That's right. Then again, we have an impeccable teacher. She taught us all these amazing jutsu." Kimiko cheered. "now, your team has the earth scroll, correct?" Tone nodded, watching the leafs carefully.

"H-Here, just don't kill us." Ritsu said, sitting up and showing everybody three lines across his face, as well as blood. He was holding the earth scroll.

"This is too easy, it's no fun." Kimiko pouted, crossing her arms.

"Who cares, we need to get to the center of the forest." Zai replied. Kimiko stuck out her tongue and took the earth scroll and put it on her back, along with the two heaven scrolls.

_Release. _Kaira thought, closing her Mei eyes. When she opened them she felt Zai holding her back. "Zai, I'm back." Kaira said. Zai released her as Mei got up and ran over to Kaira. "Zai." Kaira nodded and Zai did as well. He made a few hand signs. Then when he was finished, it looked like snow started falling from the sky.

"Sleep." Zai ordered. Tone and Ritsu fell back and Moto closed his eyes. "That should take care of them."

"So, let's go." Kaira rushed.

"Wait up, Kaira!"

_I have to get to the tower to see Sasuke!_ Kaira panicked. "We have both scrolls now, so all we have to do is steer clear for other teams and make sure we stay in good condition."

"Right." Kimiko and Zai agreed.

"Though, I gotta admit, I don't think we're getting close to the middle." Kimiko huffed, looking around. "Everywhere we go, it's forest, forest, forest. I don't see any signs of a river!"

"Kimiko, quit complaining." Zai said.

"You're lucky you've been through a lot today!" Kimiko hissed. Zai nodded and shut his mouth. "It feels like we've been in here for a long time."

"It's only been one day tops." Kaira mumbled, not very focused on the conversation. "I wonder if any team has made it to the tower yet."

"Like a team has made it through this within one day!" Kimiko noted. "This place is like a maze."

"Hey, look, a river." Zai said out of nowhere. Kaira and Kimiko both looked down and saw they were standing over a river.

"Holy hat! We're near the middle!" Kimiko exclaimed.

_You just said we're no where close to the middle! _Zai rolled his eyes. "It's only been one day, so we made good time, Kaira."

"Yeah, well, we're not finished until we get into the tower." Kaira said.

"Kaira, Kaira! Can we stop at the river?" Kimiko asked, using her puppy-dog eyes.

"No, Kimi, if we stay here, another team may see us and it'll be trouble. We need to get to the tower." Kaira said.

"Kaira, we've worked hard dodging kunais and staying alive." Kimiko pleaded. "I'll put up my earth wall all around us."

"Kimiko…" Zai shook his head.

"Mei wants to stop too." Kimiko offered. Kaira stopped when she saw the tower. "See, the tower is right there, it won't take too long to get there, we're guaranteed a spot."

"Meoww."

"Fine! We'll stop for twenty minutes, then we're going." Kaira huffed, finding a way down to the ground floor.

"Yay!" Kimiko cheered, petting Mei before putting her feet into the river. "I love water." Kaira sat down on the ground as Mei jumped into her lap. Zai sat next to her as they watched Kimiko splash around.

"Why are you so worried about getting to the tower?" Zai asked, looking at Kaira, who was petting Mei.

"The thing Mei sensed about Sasuke. I'm worried about him." Kaira replied, hiding her face.

"Ah, I see. I'm sure he's fine. He seems strong and hard to take down. You know him better than me, don't you?" Zai asked. Kaira nodded and sniffed.

_It's not about him going down, though… _Kaira thought.

"It seems like you and Sasuke are close." Zai said shyly. Kaira nodded.

"We've been friends since we were children."

"I remember that. He used to follow you around everywhere." Zai recalled, smiling at the memory. Kaira smiled as well.

"Yeah, well, when we first met, he was weak and frail. Kids always used to pick on him back then. That's how we met, I protected him one day and he started following me. At first, I thought he was annoying, but he grew on me." Kaira looked down, clearly lost in her memories. "He was so different as a child; you wouldn't believe that was the child Sasuke, seeing him now." Kaira smiled again.

"You two met when you were both 7, right?" Zai asked. Kaira nodded. Mei looked down at Kimiko.

"Yeah, he invited me over to his house one day and his family absolutely adored me. I felt so loved with them." Kaira's eyes went hazy. _Something I haven't felt since mom was alive. _

"Aaahhh!" Kimiko screamed. Zai and Kaira looked down at the river and saw three ninja. The middle one was holding Kimiko, with a kunai to her neck. The one on the left had the three scrolls.

"Kimiko!" Kaira yelled, not knowing what to do. _They have the scrolls too! _

"Kaira, what should we do?" Zai asked, taking a step forward. As soon as he stepped forward, the ninja holding Kimiko tightened his grip and put his kunai closer. "What ninja are they?"

"Waterfall." The one holding Kimiko answered. They were all dressed the same, hiding their faces and totally covered up.

"We'll be taking these scrolls, and this girl too." first one said.

"Why would you want Kimi?" Kaira asked.

"So we can make her suffer before killing her."

"You got the scrolls, so there's no reason to kill her!"

"Unless you have an undying bloodlust."

Kaira and Zai flinched. They couldn't believe what they just heard. They were so close to the tower, but it looks like they won't be able to make it.

"Let's get going." one said, then started off towards the tower.

"Kaira! We have to go after them and save Kimiko!" Zai rushed, grabbing Kaira's arm and pulling her towards their direction. "Kaira!" Kaira was frozen in place.

"Meow?"

"We've come this far, but now…" Kaira uttered, staring into space.

"Snap out of it! We still have a chance to pass! We took down two teams already, so it won't hurt to take down another!" Zai tried his chance at pep talking. Zai sighed. "Didn't Kiba say he's see you at the tower?" Zai forced out. Kaira just shrugged hopelessly. "Fine, I'm going after her, you stay here." Zai said, releasing Kaira and starting off for the other team.

"Wait! I'm going too." Kaira finally said. _I have to see Sasuke at the tower._ Kaira thought, walking towards Zai. "Let's go save Kimiko."

"And get our scrolls." Zai smirked, giving Kaira a thumbs up.

_If we even survive._ Kaira finished, chasing after the other team.


	11. Begin, Preliminaries

**Thank for reading this far! ^^**  
Disclaimer: I merely own Kaira Nekoosa, Mei, and Squad 9

* * *

"If you don't mind us asking, how old are you?" One of the waterfall ninja asked, tying Kimiko to a small tree. Kimiko rolled her eyes and turned away. "Why you-!"

"Relax, we didn't bring her to become friends." Another said, grabbing the other's shoulder and turning their backs away from Kimiko. "So, how should we kill her?"

"We could drown her." the last one offered.

"That's too normal." the first said, shrugging. Kimiko shivered, thinking of her own death.

_No, I can't think about that, I have to have faith in Kaira, Mei, and Zai._ Kimiko thought, finding small reasons to believe. _Like that one time I told Kaira not to hold back on me during practice. I trusted she wouldn't and she ended up knocking me out. See, Kimiko? You can trust her! _Kimiko shook her head. _Why are real ninja so evil?_

"We better do it quick so we can get to the tower and make it to the next round."

"I know, I know."

"Geez, you two are so useless!"

_They don't seem to get along so well. Maybe they're like the last team we fought. They think they're so strong, but actually weak compared to us._ Kimiko sighed.

"What was that?"

"I just sighed!" Kimiko replied.

"Oh." Then they turned away from her again.

_They're not that smart either. _

"So you think they're this way?" Zai asked, passing many trees along with Kaira and Mei.

"I can smell Kimiko." Kaira said.

"Meow."

"How do we attack, Zai?" Kaira asked.

"I was thinking we just dive in and attack." Zai tried. Kaira shook her head.

"It'll be three against two, we'll have a disadvantage. They aren't a team to be trifled with, either. They won't think twice about killing."

"Didn't the last team we fought think the same way?"

"They were wannabes, this team is the real deal."

"Meow."

Kaira and Zai stopped instantly and quietly looked over the edge of the branch. On the floor beneath them was Kimiko and the three ninja. The waterfall were talking amongst themselves.

"Dive in and attack?" Zai tried once again, whispering. Kaira shook her head.

"How about using your barrage thingy that made Kimi and I fall?" Kaira offered.

_Into the arms of Kiba. _Zai thought, rolling his eyes. "Oh yeah, sure." Zai got out his weapons and got them ready.

"We have to wait for an opening."

"How about now? They're just talking." Zai whispered.

"Not now, it looks like they have their guards up." Kaira lectured. "Hm? They haven't moved since we got here."

"You're right." Zai answered.

"Meow!" Mei hissed, falling off the branch.

"I see you two actually came." One waterfall said, appearing behind Kaira.

"You were right, boss." Second waterfall laughed, appearing behind Zai. Kaira and Zai both froze, feeling their life slip away.

"I got the cat." the third waterfall yelled from under the branch.

_How did they…_

_Is this the end?_

First and Second waterfall took out kunais and quickly stabbed down the Kaira and Zai's back. Before it made contact, Zai pushed Kaira off the branch and was barely stabbed. He was deeply cut in his arm and his hip.

"Unexpected." the second commented, lifting his kunai and stabbing Zai in the stomach now.

"Zai!" Kaira yelled, landing on her feet below.

"Kaira!" Kimiko called from behind Kaira. She quickly turned around and ran to untie her.

"Are you alright, Kimi?" Kaira rushed out. Kimiko looked at her hand before smiling.

"I'm fine now, thank you, Keira." Kimi replied. Kaira cocked her head to the side before kicking Kimiko away.

"My name is Kaira." Kaira hissed. Kimiko then smirked as her skin started peeling off, revealing the waterfall ninja.

"Oops, my bad." He laughed. "By the way, what are you going to do about your kitty over there?" He asked pointing past Kaira and at the river. Kaira whipped around and saw Mei being swept away by the current.

"Mei!" Kaira cried. _Dangit! Mei absolutely hates water! _Kaira looked up and saw Zai slipping off the branch and being stepped on by the other waterfall ninja. Zai yelled from pain of his bones crushing. Then the final waterfall ninja walked up by the ninja crushing Zai. The final waterfall was holding Kimiko, still tied up. _Kimiko! _

"Which one will you choose?" The waterfall down by Kaira asked. Kaira flinched, knowing what he was talking about. "Your precious kitty or your team?"

"If you go after the kitty, we'll kill you team. If you save your team, your kitty will surely drown."

_What do I do? I have to save Mei! But… then Kimiko and Zai will die. If I save them… Mei will drown._ _Even standing here thinking about it will take up time. Mei is probably close to dying right now!_ Kaira fell to the ground.

"Or we could just kill you all." the first one said, right behind Kaira. Kaira's vision started getting cloudy. Tears.

_Mei. Kimiko. Zai._

"Fire Style, Phoenix Fire Technique!"

Small fireballs came hurling at the ninja right by Kaira and made contact. The fireballs also hit the two ninja atop the branch. Kaira slowly turned around.

"We saw Mei floating down the river." Sasuke said, grinning down at Kaira. Kaira jumped up and hugged Sasuke tightly.

"Sasuke…!" Kaira cried. Sasuke patted Kaira's back. Kaira saw Naruto behind Sasuke, holding a wet Mei in his arms. Kaira released Sasuke and ran over to Naruto and Mei. "Mei!" Kaira sobbed, her tears overflowing. Kaira took Mei in her arms and Naruto smiled at them. He couldn't help thinking Kaira looked cute when she cried.

"How dare you interfere!" The leader of the team jumped up. The other two ninja jumped down and stood beside their team captain.

"Naruto." Sasuke called. Naruto nodded and stood in front of Kaira and Mei.

"We'll take it from here." Naruto said to Kaira.

"I can still fight!" Kaira said.

"You better take care of Mei." Naruto said. Kaira jumped and nodded, before hugging Mei. Naruto and Sasuke then took on the waterfall ninja with hesitation. Kaira got up and jumped up to Zai and Kimiko.

"Kaira, you're okay." Kimiko said. Kimiko was on her knees, still tied up. Zai was slipping more and more off the edge. "But Zai! He's…" Kimiko looked at her big brother. Zai was barely conscious.

"Zai…" Kaira sniffed. _It's my fault why Zai is like this. He saved me and suffered from it._ Kaira set Mei down as she untied Kimiko's ropes and set her free. "We still have a lot of learn…" Kaira mumbled, looking over Zai's body. Kaira removed the kunai that was still in his body.

"Let me see him."

Kaira turned around.

"Kabuto!" Kimiko called remembering him from when he talked to them the day before.

"I can heal his wound, let me see him." Kabuto repeated. Kaira backed up and picked Mei back up. Sakura came with Kabuto and she flinched when she saw Zai's body.

"Sakura, your hair.." Kimiko stated, staring at said's hair. Sakura touched her short hair and smiled.

"Yeah, well…"

"Hey, are you guys alright?" Naruto asked, jumping on the branch. Sasuke soon followed.

"You already beat them?" Kaira asked, amazed. Naruto grinned and nodded. Sasuke walked over to Kaira and handed her four scrolls. "We only had three scrolls." Kaira noted, seeing two heaven and two earth scrolls.

"The extra earth is the waterfall team's scroll." Sasuke explained.

"Shouldn't your team keep the earth scroll?" Kaira asked, handing it back.

"I'm giving it to you though."

"Sasuke…" Kaira cried all over again. He put his arms around her and let her cry in his arms. Of course, Sakura didn't like that and Kimiko got more suspicious of them.

"I'm almost finished." Kabuto said, relaxing a bit.

"How is he doing?" Kimiko asked.

"He suffered great damage, broke a few bones, but I'm sure he'll be fine." Kabuto said. Kimiko sighed and fell back on the tree.

"My big brother is such a freakin' idiot. Saving a girl he likes like that." Kimiko put her arm over her eyes. Kaira didn't hear Kimiko though because she was still crying in Sasuke's arms. Naruto just noted that Zai likes Kaira.

"Oh, shut up, Kimiko." Zai spoke up. Kabuto sat back as Zai sat up. "Thanks." Zai smiled at Kabuto, who returned the smile.

"I'm glad to see you're all alright." Sakura said, looking at Kimiko and Zai, but ignoring the Kaira and Sasuke scene.

"Should we all get going to the tower now?" Naruto added. Kimiko went over and helped Zai up. Kaira wiped her tears away as Sasuke pulled away from her. Everyone looked at Naruto and nodded.

"Zai, I'm sorry." Kaira said, walking over to him. Kimiko was helping him stand by putting his arm around her and carrying him.

"It's fine, Kaira, I don't regret it." Zai smiled weakly. "Besides, once we get to the tower, we'll be safe and we'll pass the second exam. Only one more to go."

"We'll go on ahead." Sasuke said, already being left behind by his team.

"Sasuke, thank you. We all would have died without you." Kaira said, fidgeting. Sasuke smirked. He was ready to go, but Kaira grabbed his sleeve. "Sasuke, what's that mark on your neck?" Sasuke jumped and tried to hide his curse seal. _Is that what Mei sensed? _

"It's nothing, Kaira." Sasuke replied.

"You didn't have it before!" Kaira fought. Sasuke hushed Kaira by the look in his eyes. _H-He's never looked at me like that…! _Kaira turned around to her weak team. "Let's get going, I doubt more people would come out and attack us." Kaira picked up the still wet Mei.

"Kaira…" Sasuke tried.

"Go catch up to your team." Kaira said, not looking at him. Sasuke turned away and started off for his team. Kimiko and Zai exchanged looks.

"We'll take our time." Kimiko nodded. They started off towards the tower, taking their time. "So, honestly, Kaira, you have a crush on Sasuke?" Kaira jumped and looked down at Mei.

"I don't think so." Kaira replied. Kimiko jumped and Zai rolled his eyes.

"At least you were honest." Kimi added. Kaira nodded, ignoring the topic now.

**.:20 Minutes Later:.**

Team 9 entered the tower at the center of the forest of death and saw other teams entering the tower before them.

"Ah, its you guys." Anko smirked, meeting with Team 9. "Looks like you did good leading your team." Anko said, winking at Kaira.

"No, I didn't." Kaira replied, brushing past Anko.

"What-?"

"Sorry, Anko-sensei, Kaira is tired from our brush with death." Kimiko explained. Anko nodded and looked at Zai and understood.

"Give me one heaven and one earth scroll." Anko demanded. Kaira walked back and handed Anko all their scrolls. "Wow, high rollers, huh?" Anko teased. Kaira crossed her arms in a serious manner and Kimiko half-smiled. "You can go past that door with all the other finished teams." Anko said. Kaira nodded and lead Kimiko and Zai into the next room. It was a large room with a tiny upper floor. It just had small strips on the upper level of the big room.

"There's Team 7." Kimiko said, signaling for Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. "And Team 10, and 8... Are we the last room team here!" Naruto waved at them and Kimiko smiled. Kimiko then saw Shikamaru, who was talking to Yamouri Kesaki from squad 6. No surprise there. _Hey! It's that guy from yesterday._ Kimiko thought, seeing Neji Hyuuga. Zai pulled away from Kimiko and stood on his own. "Hey, Zai!"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Kimiko." Zai said. He looked around and saw a team from the village hidden in the sand and the sound ninja that attacked Kabuto yesterday, plus Kabuto and his team.

"Hey, Kaira, it looks like you made it." Kiba said, walking over to her and her team. Kaira jumped when she head Kiba's voice.

"Oh, yeah." Kaira answered, twirling around and smiling at him.

_Why is she smiling! Wasn't she just being all emo a second ago? _Kimiko thought.

"It's good to see you, Hinata, and Shino made it through safely." Kaira said. Kiba reached up and started petting Akamaru who barked softly.

"Yeah, this test is pretty easy so far." Kiba laughed. Kaira made a fist and looked down.

"Easy?" Kaira repeated barely audible.

"What'd you say, Kaira?" Kiba asked, leaning in to hear her better.

"I dare you to say that again!" Kaira roared, her cat instincts returning. Kiba jumped away from her and put his hands up to try to hold her back. Everyone in the room looked over at her.

_Oh course she's on a short fuse! _Kimiko thought, taking a step forward to try and calm Kaira, but was stopped when someone put their hand on Kimiko's shoulder. She looked up and saw long silver hair flowing past her.

"Now, now, Kaira, it's nothing to get worked up over." Shizuka said, grabbing Kaira's arm. Kaira froze as she looked up at her sensei. Shizuka then looked into Kaira's slit eyes. _Looks they my team has been through a lot._ Shizuka looked away and turned to Kiba. "Kaira is running a short fuse." Shizuka mused. Kiba nodded, already had guessed that. _Hm. This boy…_ Shizuka then looked back at Kaira before smiling. _…will take good care of Kaira._ Shizuka released Kaira and pushed her over to Kiba. Kaira and Kiba blushed, but it didn't feel awkward or anything. They just pulled away slowly and avoided eye contact. Well, maybe a little awkwardness.

"Uh, Shizuka-sensei, why are you here?" Kimiko asked when Shizuka approached them. Shizuka grinned at her team.

"I told you I'd meet you after the second part of the exam!" Shizuka replied. "Hey, Zai, I heard of what you did." Shizuka crossed her arms and smiled. Zai jumped, blushed, and looked away.

"How'd you hear?" Kimiko asked.

"I read Kaira's mind and saw what you've all been through." Shizuka said like it was normal. Well, for Team 9, it is normal.

"Wow, Shizuka-sensei!" Kimi squealed, admiring her sensei more and more. Kimiko always admires female ninja. Speaking of. Team 8's Squad Captain, Kurenai Yuhi came walking towards her squad.

"Ah, sensei!" Kiba called, looking at her. "I better go, Kaira, I'll see you later, I guess." Kiba said, running off. Kaira nodded and returned to her squad.

"Hey." Kaira said, walking into the group. Kimiko smirked.

"So, Shizuka told us about what Kiba was thinking." Kimiko started jumping up and down. Kaira froze and slowly looked at Shizuka.

"What's so important about what he was thinking?" Kaira asked. Shizuka put her hand over her mouth to not laugh.

"You're so clueless, Kaira!" Shizuka mused. "Then again, so is that boy, since he isn't aware either…" Just then, Team 7's captain came walking in and caught Shizuka's eye. "Why is brother here!"

"Uh, he's the captain of squad 7." Zai said. _Why am I surrounded by girls? _Zai made a fist.

"Excuse me while I got beat the tar outta him!" Shizuka huffed, taking only one step forward before she was pounced on by Kimiko and Kaira. "Let me go!"

"C'mon, Shizuka-sensei, you just stopped be from fighting, now practice what you teach!" Kaira said.

"Shizuka-sensei, I understand your need to beat your big brother," Kimiko started. Zai jumped and stepped backwards, not wanting to be by Kimiko now, "but you have to control it for now."

_What's with that squad? The students holding back their sensei._ Many teams thought. Team 9 hasn't been out in the public eye for the three weeks, so this about the first time they're seen together like this, but, to them, this is normal.

"Alright, all passing squads, line up!" Anko said, slamming the door open. Everyone looked over at her. All the teams with their Jounin teacher. "Line up!" She repeated. Kaira and Kimiko jumped off Shizuka. Shizuka went to the area were all their teachers were at as Team 9 lined up between squads 8 and 10. So, in order. Kaira, holding Mei, was at the front, then Zai, and finally, Kimiko. "Too many people passed this section, so we add another to narrow it down." Many ninja gasped and were at awe. "You'll have a one-on-one fight with another participant. Right now, so you're not allow to rest. You have to use the energy you have leftover from the forest of death. The winner gets to make it to round three of the chuunin exam. If it's a draw, neither participants are allowed to move on."

"That's it. I'm done." Kabuto rose his hand. Everyone looked at him. "I can't carry on." Kaira and Kimiko both looked at Zai.

"Zai, you can't fight either." Kimiko whispered.

"Did something happen to Zai?" Hinata started, but was cut off by Ino. Kimiko gave Ino a weird look before nodding.

"Kaira, don't you think this fight sounds fun?" Kiba asked, in the front with Kaira. Kaira looked down at Mei.

"Yeah, it seems so, but…" Kaira trailed off and looked back at Zai again. "Zai, please." Kaira begged.

"Anyone else wish to give up. If you give up, it won't affect your team anymore." Anko said.

"Zai…" Kimiko urged. Shizuka saw her team worrying about Zai.

_Forgive me, you might hate me._ Shizuka said, stepping forward. "I'm withdrawing one of my students, Zai Kazumi." Zai jumped and made a fist as he exited the line and walked towards Shizuka.

"Alright, if that's it, then let's begin. All spectators watch from the upper levels. When your name pops up on the screen, come down here and fight. You lose is you give up, are knocked unconscious, killed, or are unable to fight anymore." Anko finished.

"So, we're at risk of dying again, huh?" Kimiko whispered into Kaira's ear as they started walking up the stairs.

"What if we have to fight Kaira and Mei, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, brushing past them.

"Arf!"

"Though we're not so much rivals anymore, we'll still settle this." Kiba smirked, running after his team. Kaira smiled.

"We'd wipe him, huh, Mei?" Kaira asked.

"Meow!"

"You two. I don't get your relationship now." Kimiko stated.

"Hm?"

"First you were rivals, then you simmered down before we three weeks. Now you two are friends, but still rivals? Why don't you two fight anymore?"

"Oh, uh, I don't know." Kaira shrugged. "After Kiba helped me, I don't fell the urge to beat him."

"Helped you? When?" Kimiko asked. They found a spot on the upper level and leaned against the bars.

"Oh, it was awhile ago. I lost Mei and Akamaru wanted to help, so Kiba helped too." Kaira put it short and sweet.

"No way! Aww! Brought together by your pets." Kimiko squealed. Kaira raised a brow.

"Brought together?" Kaira repeated, not understanding Kimiko.

"You two better make it to the next round." Shizuka popped out of no where again. Zai was right by Shizuka, clearly not happy, but understanding on Shizuka's part.

"Yeah, you two better win." Zai said. Kimiko smiled at her brother, which is surprising.

"I'll win for you, Zai." Kimiko said. Kaira and Shizuka, even Zai, were shocked at Kimiko's kindness to her brother. Then again, he's injured.

"The first match!" Shizuka said. Everyone turned to the big screen monitor, shuffling names around. Everyone watched with anticipation as it kept shuffling. Then, it stopped all at once and everyone read the names of the first two participants.

"Round 1: Sasuke Uchiha and Kimiko Kazumi."

Team 9 froze. Kimiko already felt sweat, Zai gulped, and Kaira felt her heart beat fast. Kaira saw Sasuke, on the other side, making his way down to the arena.

"Y-You better get going, Kimiko." Kaira was able to say. Kimiko nodded and turned around.

"Be strong, Kimiko." Shizuka encouraged. _He's from my brother's team and I'd love for her to beat him._

"I know you can win." Zai smirked, hugging his sister. Kimiko smiled as she started walking towards the arena.

"Good luck, Kimi." Kaira whispered to herself. Kimiko made her way down to the arena and stood across from Sasuke. The judge then look at both of them.

"Hey, uh, Sasuke?" Kimiko asked. Sasuke just gave her a neutral look. "I know we're both Kaira's friend and stuff, but don't take it easy on me if you're scared Kaira will hate you for beating her teammate." Kimiko then smiled.

"Right." Sasuke said, smirking.

"Are both participants ready?" Judge asked, looking at both of them. Sasuke and Kimiko both nodded. "Begin!"

"Fire Style, Grand Fireball Technique!" Sasuke started right away. Kimiko put her hands up.

"Mirror Barrier!" Kimiko called, creating her famous barrier. It held back the flames, that for sure, but Kimiko didn't noticed Sasuke come up from behind up. He punched her and her barrier broke as she flew forward.

"Kimiko!" Zai yelled. Kimiko quickly got up, but when she did, she couldn't find Sasuke anywhere.

_What the-? _Kimiko thought, looking around. _Hm?_ Kimiko dodged Sasuke when he tried to attack her from behind again. _Argh! There's no trees or water around here, so I can't use to usual jutsu. _Kimiko jumped up into the air and started making more hand signs. "Fire Style, Fire Dragon Technique!"

_No way she could know that jutsu! _Sasuke though, trying to draw back, but already being surrounded by flames.

"When did she master that?" Shizuka asked, surprised. Shizuka tried to teach Kimiko that jutsu during practice, but Kimiko just couldn't get it.

"Just now." Zai smirked. Kaira was still torn between Kimiko and Sasuke, but she was proud of Kimi.

Then a blast of fire hit Sasuke. The jutsu died down and revealed a burned Sasuke. Kimiko landed on the ground again and gasped. She was able to hit Sasuke Uchiha. But, the burned Sasuke changed into a log. A substitution jutsu!

"That was impressive." Sasuke said, coming up and kicking Kimiko into the air. Kimiko noticed that Sasuke's eyes were red.

_Red? He's an Uchiha… it's his sharingan. I didn't know he already had it… _Kimiko thought as Sasuke appeared under her and started using his Lion Barrage on her. She fell onto the ground hard, so hard, she was knocked unconscious.

"Sasuke Uchiha is the winner!" Judge said.

"Kimiko…" Kaira uttered. "She put up a fight, but the fight was quick."

"At least she mastered that jutsu." Shizuka shrugged. Zai made a fist and looked away. Shizuka went down to check on Kimiko. They brought out the stretcher, but Shizuka shooed it away. "Hey, Kimiko, wake up." Shizuka said, examining Kimiko. _She's not severely hurt. If anything, Sasuke took it easy on her._ Shizuka slapped Kimiko lightly and Kimiko's eyes came fluttering open.

"Shizuka-sensei." Kimiko muttered, sitting up and rubbing her eye. She looked around and remembered she was knocked unconscious. "So I lost, huh?" Kimiko whined. Shizuka helped Kimiko up. "I'm sorry, Shizuka-sensei."

"Don't worry about it, Kimiko, you tried your best with the area you had." Shizuka said. _If she had trees and water around, I'm positive Kimiko would have won._ Shizuka helped Kimiko up to the upper level again and Kaira and Zai ran over to her.

"You did good, Kimiko. You actually learned that jutsu!" Zai tried to sound positive. Kimiko just gave Zai a blank face.

"At least you're alive and in one piece." Kaira smiled, hugging Kimiko.

"I'll leave it up to you, now, Kaira." Kimiko mumbled. Kaira nodded. "As for you, Zai," Kimiko went over and put her brother into a headlock. "Since I didn't win, I get to beat you up, right?"

"Kimiko!" Zai pleaded.

"Isn't it sad how the older brother gets beaten by his younger sister?" Kimiko mocked.

"You two…" Kaira sighed, secretly glad Kimiko and Zai were back to normal.

"Here comes match number two." Shizuka said, breaking through to her students. They all looked at the screen.

"Round 2: Zaku Abumi and Shino Aburame."

"Oh, it's Shino's turn now." Kaira smiled.

"Who's he fighting against?" Kimiko asked. "Ah, good luck, Shino!" Kimiko cheered when Shino walked behind them.

"You can do it, Shino." Kaira smiled. Shino simply nodded as he went down to the arena. One of the sound ninja came down too. "Looks like his opponent is a sound ninja."

"Shino will win." Shizuka said out of nowhere.

"How do you know, Shizuka?" Kaira asked, turning to her sensei. Shizuka jumped and half-smiled.

"Just a guess." Shizuka lied. Her students bought it before turning back to the match.

Just as Shizuka predicted, Shino won by a landslide. He implanted his bugs inside Zaku's arms, making him unable to attack. Kaira, Kimiko, and Zai were happy that Shino won and moved onto the next round. The screen continued to randomize names. Kaira felt nervous for her fight. Her hold on Mei tightened.

"Meow?"

"Round 3: Kankuro and Tsurugu Misumi."

Kaira sighed, feeling relieved.

"Who're those people?" Zai asked this time. Kimiko shrugged, but then saw one sand ninja and one ninja from Kabuto's team come down.

"Apparently, those guys." Kimiko stated, looking at them. _That sand ninja guy has kitty ears! He wants to be like Mei._ Kimiko then started laughing, making her teammates wonder about her.

"Who's you think is going to win?" Zai asked Kaira.

"I have no clue. I don't know either one, but that sand guy looks pretty strong." Kaira observed.

"Very good, Kaira." Shizuka smiled. "The sand ninja team that's here is amazingly strong; maybe you'll see from observing this one." Shizuka said as the match began. After watching the match for awhile, Team 9 understood. Even though the other one tried to kill Kankuro, he failed, only attacking a puppet.

"He uses puppets." Kaira said.

"How scary." Kimiko nodded. Zai just agreed with them silently. They couldn't look away as Kankuro defeated his opponent. "What about the other sand ninja?" Kimiko whispered.

"It looks they're over there." Zai replied. They all looked at the sand ninja. Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. They sure did look intimidating.

_The one with red hair looks like the scariest._ Kimiko feared. _What if Kaira has to face one of them! _

"They're siblings." Shizuka said.

"Those sand ninja?" Kimiko asked. Shizuka just nodded and Kimiko gawked at them. Zai closed his eyes and Kaira felt herself start to shake. "Maybe you could get an easy opponent, Kaira!" Kimiko said. "Like maybe-"

"Round 4: Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka."

"Oh… well, never mind, Kaira." Kimiko put her hand behind her head and tried to smile.

"This should be a good match." Zai grinned. Kimiko and Kaira rolled their eyes at Zai, but had to admit, he was right, but what's so good about watching two weak girls fight?

"Begin!"

Everyone watched Sakura and Ino talk and talk, but nothing really fancy.

"You wanna cheer for one and I'll cheer for the other?" Kimiko laughed, seeing them finally fight.

"Don't tease them, Kimiko, they're trying their best." Kaira replied. Kimiko smirked before Shizuka hit her head.

"Ow!"

"Watch the match, Kimiko." Shizuka ordered.

"You just want to observe your brother's team, don't you?" Kimiko questioned. Shizuka nodded shamelessly before turning back to the match.

The match ended in a draw, meaning neither one of them can move on.

"That was a bizarre twist." Kimiko uttered, almost hanging off the fence. "They just used their fists."

"You'd never expect Ino to cut her hair like that." Zai nodded.

"Oh, hush it, Zai!" Kimiko growled. Kimiko leaned over the fence again and Zai was tempted to push his sister over to edge, literally.

"Zai…" Shizuka scolded, reading his mind. Zai jumped and tried to think of an excuse, but Shizuka probably already that too.

"Round 5:"

Kaira hugged Mei again, her nervousness coming back.

"Meow?"

"Temari and Yamouri Kesaki."

"Not me, again!" Kaira hissed.

"Wow, Kaira, you excited for your turn?" Kimiko asked.

"No, but I can't stand this anxiousness." Kaira replied angrily.

"It's not good to fight when angry, Kaira." Shizuka lectured.

"Don't worry, Kaira, I know you'll win." Zai said.

"Wait! Yamouri Kesaki, that's the girl that Shikamaru likes!" Kimiko concluded. Kaira shook her head.

"He never said he liked her." Kaira said.

"Yeah, but isn't it obvious?" Kimiko asked. Kaira thought back to Shikamaru leaving for Yamouri, then him sitting in the tree with her.

"Not really, no. Friends do that stuff." Kaira finally said. "Sasuke and I do things similar to that all the time."

"I rest my case." Kimiko muttered to herself.

"What'd you say?" Kaira hissed.

"Kimiko, Kaira!" Shizuka said. Both girls quieted down and watched the next match. _They sure are full of life today.._

They watched Temari and Yamouri fight, Yamouri was going great right away. She was hitting Temari here and there and it seems like Temari just couldn't get her back.

"She has an invisibility jutsu, that's pretty cool." Kimiko said, instantly lighting up.

"I agree." Kaira said.

Then Yamouri released a powerful jutsu where lightning clouds surrounded them.

"Wow, A lighting jutsu!" Kimiko awed.

"It's a great jutsu." Shizuka nodded.

However, Temari's attacks started making contact, which was trouble for Yamouri.

The ending result was Temari beating Yamouri, but it was a close match. Rock Lee came down and intervened the match. They called for a stretcher, but Yamouri said she didn't need it. It seems Yamouri and Temari exchanged some words before they left the arena.

"She was so close…" Zai stated.

"Yeah." Kaira said. Team 9 was impressed with Yamouri, so they were a bit surprised to see her lose to the other sand ninja, but they did all fear the sand ninja, so maybe it wasn't so surprising. "Shizuka-sensei, what did you think?"

"Well, I knew all the sand siblings would all win their matches." Shizuka nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Yeah, there's still one more sand ninja left!"

"Oh, uh, it's just a feeling, I guess." Shizuka lied again.

"Round 6: Kin Tsuchi and Shikamaru Nara."

"Hey, Kaira, you actually do have a chance to fight Kiba." Kimiko exclaimed. Kaira flinched. "Neither of you have been called yet!"

"She's right, Kaira." Shizuka nodded.

"Yeah, that's be a awesome fight." Kimiko said before turning to the arena. "Let's go, Shika! You can do it!" Kimiko cheered.

"Kimiko finally found someone to cheer for." Zai sighed. "Now she's going to get loud." Zai said before smiling at Kaira. "Oh well."

"Don't go easy on her just because she's a girl!" Yamouri yelled from across the room. Kaira smirked and crossed her arms. Zai nodded as he saw Shikamaru look up at Yamouri; she just made a fist and Shikamaru just made his famous helpless look. Kimiko then nodded and kept cheering.

"It's just a weak girl!" Kimiko kept going.

"Uh, Kimiko, you just insulted yourself." Kaira said. "And me."

"Oh, not that way, Kaira." Kimiko laughed, waving it off. "I meant she looks way weak. Sure, she has nice hair and cute purple ribbon, but other than that…"

"Begin!"

"Alright, Shika!" Kimiko kept cheering. Kimiko kept cheering and Shikamaru kept trying his best. After awhile Shikamaru used his jutsu and trapped Kin. Then he beat her by knocking her unconscious. "Wow, Shikamaru is just so amazing!"

"I admit, he is smart." Shizuka nodded and smiled.

"Hey, Kimiko, do you like Shikamaru?" Kaira asked, slyly. Seeing as Kimiko always asks Kaira about that stuff, it's her turn now.

"Nope, he's only my friend." Kimiko giggled. "You're so silly, Kaira!" Kimiko playfully pushed Kaira. "These matches are so heated!"

"Yeah, Kimiko, did you forget you were in one?" Zai asked. Kimiko made a pouting face and cocked her head to the side.

"I remember, I remember." Kimiko waved off. "I can't wait till the next match!"

"Meow, Meow." Mei agreed.

"Ah, it's rolling now!" Kimiko cheered.

"Kimiko's hyper all from the cheering." Zai huffed.

"Twins, calm down!" Shizuka ordered.

"I didn't do anything!" Zai replied. Kaira looked up at the screen.

"Meow!"

"Round 7: Kaira Nekoosa and Akado Yoroi."

Kaira just stared at the screen.

* * *

**Review, please? ^^  
**Next chapter is gonna be epic! Review is you like. ^^;


	12. Blood of a Nekoosa

**New Chapter, nh?**

* * *

"Hey, it's your turn, Kaira." Kimiko said, shaking Kaira's shoulders.

"Hm?" Shizuka observed, looking down at Kaira.

"Kaira, you better get down there to fight." Kimiko urged. Kaira's cat ears popped out.

"What was that, Kimiko?" Kaira asked, staring at the arena.

"You're fight. Did something click inside of you or something?" Kimiko said, worrying about her teammate. Kimiko just didn't know she was exactly right. "I said you should get down there. Are you alright, Kaira?" Kimiko asked, feeling Kaira's forehead. "Your temperature is average."

"Oh, I'm sorry for worrying you, I'm just nervous now." Kaira half-smiled. "I better get going!"

"Good luck, Kaira!" Zai called.

"You can do it, Kaira, I have faith in you!" Kimiko cheered as Kaira ran towards the arena.

Shizuka just starred at Kaira. _When her name was called, her thoughts suddenly became a blur. What's going on?_

Kaira stood across from her opponent, one of Kabuto's teammates. She smiled at him and he just nodded. Kaira let Mei down next to her. "You ready, Mei?"

"Meoww!"

_**A one-on-one fight, eh? **_Kaira blinked a couple of times and shook her head. That was odd. _**I've never fought one-on-one before. **_"Did you say something?" Kaira asked, looking at the judge.

"Huh? Uh, no." He said. Kaira looked away and around the room. She could have swore she heard something. The judge coughed before talking again. "Participants ready?" Kaira and Akado nodded. "Begin!" Kaira's cat ears were still out this whole time, but now her tail went with it and her eyes changed again.

"Chakra Absorption Technique!" Akado said. This hands turned blue with his chakra.

_I remember this jutsu!._ Kaira thought as he starting trying to hit her. She kept dodging them over and over. _**How about a Cat-Companion Body Switch right away? **_"**Cat-Companion Body Switch**!" Kaira automatically said. _What the-? _Kaira switched bodies with Mei. Mei, jumped into the air and quickly dove down for Akado. _I didn't call this! Release!_ Kaira returned to her own body, but her timing was bad. Akado punched Kaira and started absorbing her chakra.

"Hey, Zai, you know that jutsu, don't you?" Kimiko asked, crossing her arms at Kaira's poor performance.

"Yeah, I always fight you two using it." Zai agreed.

"Why is Kaira hesitating?" Kimiko questioned.

"Something's wrong." Shizuka cut in. Kimiko and Zai both looked up at their sensei. "Her thoughts are all cloudy and that's unusual. Something happening in her mind."

"In her mind?" Kimiko and Zai both repeated, returning to look at Kaira.

"C'mon, Kaira! You can do it!" Kiba cheered, startling Team 9.

_Everyone's expecting me to win. _Kaira thought. _So, I have to win._ Kaira's slit eyes minimized as her mind went elsewhere. _**Alright, let's win, then.**_ Kaira dug her claws into Akado's arm, so hard, that blood started streaming down.

"What?" He hissed. He pulled his arm away from her when it started stinging.

Kaira staggered to get up, but she eventually did. She put her free hand on her chest and her hand started glowing purple. She was healing her own chakra.

"That's impossible." Akado uttered. Kaira smirked as she reached down for Mei.

"**Mei, can you distract him?" **Kaira whispered. Mei looked up at Kaira for while, studying her. Even Mei noticed something isn't right.

"Meow." Mei finally replied, running towards Akado.

"A cat?" Akado said to himself. "Oh well." Akado said, aiming for Mei.

Kaira finished healing her chakra as she disappeared and reappeared behind Akado. _**This girl doesn't know the true extent of her speed and power.**_ "**You're picking a fight with the kitty?" **Kaira whispered in his ear. She put one around his neck and the other held his hands down. Mei jumped into the air towards him. "**Cat-Companion Body Switch.**"

Kaira, as Mei, extracted her claws as she neared Akado. Mei, as Kaira, tightened her hold on Akado. Kaira landed on Akado and dug her other claws into his face. He yelled in pain. Everyone cringed from the scene. Kaira jumped away from him and landed on the floor. _**Release! **_Kaira, back in her own body, put her hand to his neck. She kept tightening and tightening her hold on him.

"I give up!" Akado finally said, having enough. Kaira grinned, but she kept going. She then cut his arm and it started bleeding. He cringed from the stinging all over. She squeezed his neck more. If she did it any tighter, he'd surely die.

"Kaira Nekoosa! Your opponent gave up, you win!" The judge said. Kaira put her head next to Akado's.

"What's gotten into her!" Kimiko shrieked. Zai looked away, unable to see any more.

"This can't be the same Kaira.." Kiba whispered, staring at her. Shizuka flinched.

"**My opponent lost.**" Kaira started, bring her sharp claws up his arm, leaving a line of scarlet wherever she went over. "**Losers deserve to die.**" Kaira said darkly. The judge took a step back.

"Meoww."

Kaira jumped and looked down at Mei, who looked sad. _M-Mei? _Mei walked over to Kaira's feet and nudged her leg. Kaira released Akado and he landed on the ground without moving.

"Kaira…" Kiba whispered again. Kaira was able to hear him thanks to her cat ears. She looked up at him and saw his eyes weren't normal. They read fear.

"What did I do?" Kaira uttered, looking at her blood tainted hands. Suddenly, Shizuka came down and punched Kaira in the stomach all too quickly. Kaira fell over, unconscious.

"Since Kaira failed to stop attacking after he opponent gave up, she's disqualified." The judge finally said after a long silence.

"That's not fair! She won!" Kiba fought. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. Kurenai put her hand on his shoulder. "That's wrong, isn't it?"

"Kaira sure seems scary…" Hinata mumbled.

"Something wasn't right about that fight." Shino said. "I do believe it's not fair though, but she could have killed him." Shino said.

"Whatever happened, let her squad deal with it. It's out of your hand, Kiba." Kurenai said.

Kimiko and Zai ran down to Shizuka and Kaira. Medical ninja came out with a stretcher and loaded Akado on it. "Is she alright, Shizuka-sensei?"

"She is now. As soon as Mei made contact with her, her mind cleared up." Shizuka informed. "I wonder what happened." Zai walked over to the judge.

"I hope she's okay." Kimiko muttered, kneeling down next to her.

"How's Kaira?" Kiba asked, running towards them. Kimiko and Shizuka jumped. They didn't notice him come down. "Kimi, do you know what came over her?"

"Oh, um, no." Kimiko replied.

"The judge is giving us a ten minute break." Zai said, returning to the circle. "Oh, Kiba." Kiba nodded at Zai.

"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru barked, walking over to Kaira and licking her face.

"Meoww." Mei jumped on Kaira's stomach. Mei's paws then started glowing a dim purple.

"Urrrggh." Kaira moaned, her eyes fluttering open. Everyone around her smiled. "What happened?" Kaira asked, sitting up and petting both Mei and Akamaru.

"First off, I'm glad you're okay, Kaira!" Kimi cried, hugging her friend. "You had me worried there for a moment."

"Are you feeling okay?" Zai asked, giving Kaira a pity look.

"Did something happen to me? And, thanks, Zai, I feel fine." Kaira replied.

"You don't remember? You were about to kill your opponent after he already gave up." Shizuka reminded. Then it all came back to Kaira.

"I remember now, but it felt like I wasn't controlling my own body." Kaira muttered, looking down at the floor. "I won, though, right?"

"They disqualified you for your actions." Shizuka added. Kaira fell back on the floor. She sighed and put her arm over her eyes.

"I know, I don't think it's fair either." Kiba murmured. "You won, that's that."

"Thanks, Kiba." Kaira said. Shizuka looked over at Kiba before getting up and signaling for Kimiko and Zai to back off. Team 9, save for Kaira, met by the stairs.

"What is it, Shizuka-sensei?" Kimiko asked. Shizuka looked back over at Kaira and Kiba. "Shizuka-sensei?"

Kiba froze when they all left him alone with the saddened Kaira. He should leave too, right? But he can't leave Kaira alone.

"Hey, Kiba?" Kaira asked. Kiba jumped before sitting down next to her. "Did I look scary?"

"Well, yeah, you did, but we all came here to fight, so I don't see what the difference is." Kiba said. Kaira peeked through and looked at Kiba. "I always knew you were strong. Since you were my rival, I always watched your strength, to make sure you didn't surpass me, but maybe I missed something along the way."

"I couldn't control my own body. Even I was telling myself to stop, but… this voice, it told me to keep going and it overpowered me. I know it sounds lame and a bit crazy, but that's the truth." Kaira said.

"A voice?" Kiba repeated.

"It mocked me and made fun of me and it wanted to kill." Kaira added. Kiba flinched. "It couldn't have been my voice, though, right? It's the first time anything like that has ever happened. Then again maybe it was me, I mean, it did come my body and all, so maybe I have a dark side that I can't control, or just-" Kiba took Kaira's hand and lifted her up.

"It's not you, Kaira." Kiba said. Kaira blushed, then her expression softened.

"Thanks, Kiba." Kaira said. Kiba grinned before reaching up and touching her cat ears. She flinched when he touched them

"By the way," Kiba looked away and put his hand down, "you looked cute with your ears and tail." Kaira blushed again. "I better get back to my squad." Kiba said, standing up. "Let's go, Akamaru."

"Arf!" Akamaru jumped into Kiba's arms. He waved before turning his back and going back to this team upstairs. Kimiko, Zai, and Shizuka came back over once Kiba left.

"Oh, you must have a fever, Kaira!" Kimiko stated, kneeling beside her. Kaira gave Kimiko a strange look. "You're face is red." Kaira jumped and looked away. Shizuka smirked and crossed her arms.

"Hey, Shizuka, I was wondering how your student was doing." Kakashi said, appearing right by Shizuka. She jumped and put her hand over her heart, showing she was scared.

"Why should you care, you old man!" Shizuka lashed.

"I was just worried." Kakashi replied.

"Are you implying I'm not a good teacher?" Shizuka asked, putting Kakashi into a headlock.

"Practice what you teach, sensei!" Kimiko tried repeating it over and over.

"I'm glad to see you're better." Zai said to Kaira. She just nodded. Shizuka released her brother and huffed.

"Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Kimiko asked, looking up at him.

"Oh," Kakashi said. "Yeah, I'm used to Shizuka's antics now." He then walked over to Kaira. "I just came down because I could tell my team was worried about her."

"You say your team, but it was mostly Sasuke, wasn't it?" Shizuka, reading her brother's mind.

"Still using that jutsu nonstop, I see." Kakashi studied.

"Yeah, so what! I like it." Shizuka ranted like a little kid. Then she stuck out her tongue.

_Is that what Kimiko is going to be like when she's older?_ Zai thought.

"I'm glad he's worried, but tell him I'm fine." Kaira said, standing up.

"You better go wash your hands off, they're painted red." Kakashi said. Kaira nodded and looked at her hands. He put his hand on her head. Then he felt a jolt. He removed his hand and stared down at her.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Kaira asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing I guess." Kakashi said, smiling. "I better return to them then." Then he went off.

"Can you go with me to the restrooms, Kimi?" Kaira asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Kimiko replied. Kimiko and Kaira went into the girls' restroom as Zai and Shizuka went back up to their spot. "So, after this do you want to go get something to eat?" Kimiko asked, trying to talk about anything other than the fight. Kaira half-smiled, seeing what Kimiko was doing.

"I'd love that." Kaira replied. Kimiko opened the bathroom door and let Kaira go in first.

"Should we go eat some sushi?" Kimiko asked. Kaira smiled at her teammate while she turned on the water and started scrubbing her hands. "Or how about a big helping of the famous Kaira soup? You know, I think they're selling fish at a discount price tomorrow."

"Meow?" Mei meowed as she jumped up on the sinks by Kaira.

"Why are you only offering my favorites?" Kaira asked. "I'm perfectly fine with eating anything else." Kaira whispered. Kimi cocked her head to the side. "Sasuke always spoiled me; I don't want you to, too, Kimi." Kaira finally said, turning off the faucet and getting a towel for her hands.

"Okay, we'll go eat at a different place. Now let's see, where else is there…?" Kimi asked the last sentence to herself as she crossed her arms and put her hand to her chin. Kaira threw away the towel once she was finished.

_Sasuke…_ Kaira thought. _That mark on his neck…_

"Meow?"

Kaira looked over at Mei and picked her up.

"Oh, hey, Kaira, are you going to keep your cat ears and tail out?" Kimiko asked. Kaira jumped, remembering what Kiba had said. Kimiko smirked. "Ah, Kiba said you looked cute, huh?" Kimiko giggled. Kaira blushed again and was speechless. "This mind reading jutsu sure is handy, I see why Shizuka uses it nonstop." Kimiko twirled her hair as she kept grinning at Kaira.

"Kimi, you-"

"So, what do you think of Kiba?" Kimiko asked. "I know you're still thankful for him helping and all, but what else? He also saved you from falling in the forest. So, it's more like, rivals turn friends."

"I hardly talk to Kiba, but I own him, I know that." Kaira replied, petting Mei. Mei just looked up at Kaira. "Other than that, I don't know. Are we friends?"

"It seems like that to me. Although, normally, friends don't call other friends cute." Kimi smiled. "Acquaintances don't. Rival defiantly don't."

"Maybe we're between." Kaira shrugged, walking past Kimiko and opening the door. "We better get back to the matches." Kimiko pouted.

_I see you're sudden subject change._ Kimi replied, but nodding as she walked out the door with Kaira. They quickly went to Zai and Shizuka.

"You two made it just in time, a match is about to begin." Zai said.

"Alright, I could use some more cheering." Kimiko grinned. Kaira giggled as she looked at the screen.

"Round 8: Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka." Kaira read.

"Meow!"

"Oh, it's Kiba's turn now, huh?" Kimi asked, looking at Kaira. Zai turned away as Kaira blushed slightly. Kiba was making his way to the arena. Kaira turned around and faced Kiba. Her ears and tail were still out.

"Kiba!" Kaira forced. Kiba looked at Kaira. Akamaru looked at her and Mei also. "Good luck!" Kaira finally said. Kiba grinned and reached out and petted Mei.

"Thanks, Kaira." Kiba replied. Kimi moved around the back of Kaira.

"Hm." Kimi muttered. Then she bumped into the back of Kaira, pushing her forward. "Oops." Mei jumped out of her arms as she started forward. Kiba put his arms up and caught Kaira. "I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy sometimes." Kaira blushed and plotted her revenge on Kimi. Maybe pushing her off the upper level?

"It's fine, Kimi." Kiba said, he smiled down at Kaira. He nodded towards her and released her as he started off towards the arena.

* * *

**REVIEW, Pleeease? ^^**

Oh, and the bold italics aren't Kaira's 'thoughts' but they're someone else's in her head D


	13. Newfound Feelings

"Kimi!" Kaira muttered, clenching her fist. She quickly turned around to Kimi, who was preparing herself for the worse.

"Kimi, why'd you do that?" Zai asked, cutting in. Kimi crossed her arms and snubbed him. "Kimi!"

"Kimi, I can't believe you!" Kaira roared on.

"It's not like I did anything wrong!" Kimi pleaded.

"I was talking to you, Kimi." Zai said.

"All of you, stop it!" Shizuka finally said. They all looked at Shizuka.

"Meoww."

"Aww, I'm so sorry, Mei." Kaira said, bending down and petting her.

"I'm sorry too, Mei." Kimiko added.

"Sorry." Zai said, turning back to the arena.

_Seriously, why are they so talkative today?_ Shizuka thought sighing. Kaira picked Mei up and leaned over the fence to see Kiba.

"Begin!"

Kaira tensed up and Mei looked up at her.

"He's fighting Naruto, huh?" Zai asked. Kimiko nodded and smirked.

"He was always the class clown, wasn't he?" Kimiko asked.

"Yeah, he was always late and everything." Zai agreed.

"I wouldn't look down on him; after all, he did save us in the forest of death." Kaira said. "Then again, Kiba hasn't been slacking all this time either." Kimiko and Zai both shrugged before looking down at the match. _Kiba, I know you can win._ Kaira thought to herself.

Kiba quickly started to attacking Naruto with a double team of him and Akamaru. There was a puff of smoke, pills, and shadow clones.

"It seems like Kiba has the upper hand." Zai stated. Kimiko leaned over the gate and nodded.

"There is no way he can lose." Kimi agreed. Kaira brought her hand up to her mouth.

"Meow?" Mei asked. Kaira tightened her hold on Mei. "Meow."

"Is everything okay, Kaira?" Shizuka asked, bending down and looking at Kaira. Kimiko and Zai looked back at Kaira.

"Oh, uh, yeah, everything's fine." Kaira nodded. Kimiko smirked.

"Be happy, Kaira, your Kiba is winning." Kimiko cheered. Kaira blushed and brushed past Kimiko to the edge before cheering for him.

Akamaru transformed into Kiba and they performed their duel jutsu, injuring Naruto more and more. Naruto just couldn't seem to land a hit on Kiba. Until, Naruto tricked Kiba into knocking Akamaru unconscious.

Team 9 all gasped at the sight.

"Poor Akamaru…" Kaira mumbled.

So it was Kiba and Naruto now. Kiba was a bit shaken up from hitting Akamaru, but he recovered and started attacking Naruto again, but everything changed once Naruto farted in Kiba's face. Kiba had his heightened senses too, making it even worse. Then Naruto took his chance and used his special combo on Kiba, smashing his face into the ground and knocking him unconscious. It was a surprising victory for Naruto.

"What the-?" Kimiko started, almost falling off the edge. Zai grabbed her and pulled her back. Kaira let Mei drop to the floor, but it's okay because cat's always land on their feet.

"Kiba." Kaira whispered. Kimiko and Zai turned back to their teammate as Shizuka leaned forward and pushed Kaira off the ledge. "Shizuka-sensei!" Kaira screamed as she fell.

"That was uncalled for." Zai said. Kimiko reached over and slapped her brother. "What was that for!"

"Just for the heck of it." Kimiko yawned.

Kaira landed, the same way as Mei did just seconds before. Mei ran down to Kaira from the stairs. Kaira looked up at her sensei grudgingly, but only for a second. She turned and saw Kiba being loaded up on a stretcher.

"Meow!" Mei urged.

"Yeah." Kaira agreed, looking around the room. Some people were still cautious of Kaira from her fight. Kaira saw Kiba's team all surround him. Kaira looked over at Naruto, who was walking past her. "Oh, Naruto," Kaira grabbed his arm and he looked back at her.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked.

_Oh dang! What'd I do that for? I don't have anything to say to him. Should I introduce myself? It's not really the time for that, but…_ Kaira rushed. "Good job." Kaira then smiled, making Naruto blush at her again.

_Hey, she's also cute when she smiles._ Naruto thought. He put his hand behind his head from embarrassment. "Thanks." He replied. Kaira and Naruto heard talking near Kiba's stretcher.

"Excuse me." Kaira said, walking away before Naruto could reply. She rushed over to Kiba's stretcher and saw him awake now. He was only unconscious for a short time. _Thank goodness._ Kaira peeked over at him from behind Hinata. It seems like he just finished talking with Hinata. He looked over Kaira and smiled at big as he could in his injured state, which wasn't very big.

"Kaira…" Kiba uttered. Hinata jumped and looked behind her and saw Kaira. Hinata didn't even notice Kaira come up behind her. "I'm sorry I-"

"Why are you sorry?" Kaira asked. Kaira reached over and brushed her hand against his arm. Her eyes started getting teary. "You're an idiot for losing like that." Kaira sniffed. Hinata's gaze softened, understanding of Kaira. "You're supposed to be my rival yet you lost. I won't allow it." A single tear came down Kaira's face.

"Kaira." Kiba muttered. Hinata moved away from them, quickly knowing what was happening. Mei jumped on the stretch, right by Akamaru and put her paw on Akamaru's face as it started glowing the same light blue color from when Kaira was unconscious. "What is Mei doing?" Kiba asked, turning his gaze to Mei.

"She uses her chakra to awaken people or animals who was unconscious." Kaira explained, averting her eyes and wiping her eyes. Kiba petted Mei as removed her paw from Akamaru. Akamaru's eyes slowly started opening. "Let's go, Mei." Kaira finally said. Mei jumped to the ground and strode alongside Kaira. Before she go very far, Kiba grabbed her wrist, making Kaira quickly turn around to him.

"Kaira."

"If you have something to say, say it; don't just keep repeating my name." Kaira replied harshly. Hinata jumped, sensing the cruel Kaira surface again. Kurenai tried to smile and Shino was as silent as ever.

"I'm sorry I failed your expectations, but honestly, I don't deserve to be your rival." Kiba finally said. Kaira flinched as her face flushed. She ripped her hand away from Kiba and sneered down at him.

"You're injured and talking crazy." Kaira huffed. She looked up at the medical ninja who were holding his stretcher. "You better get him fixed as quickly as possible."

_Wasn't this girl just crying? Now she's being harsh and ordering people around. _Kurenai thought. _She sure is different._

"I-I better get back now." Kaira said.

"Wait." Kiba reached out for her again, but she dodged his hand as she kept walking. _I don't get her. Is she trying to be strong for me or is she just normally that mean? After all these years, I'm still confused by her.._

Kaira strode away with Mei by her side. She ran up the stairs and returned to her team. She glanced over and saw them taking Kiba to the back to probably heal his injuries.

"Hey, so how was he?" Shizuka asked.

"He's doing good." Kaira replied, crossing her arms.

"So did you jump into his arms and hug him until someone had to pry you away?" Kimiko asked, hugging herself to show Kaira. Kaira glared at Kimiko before putting her hand up and smacking the back of Kimiko's head, making her fall down. Zai covered his mouth from the incident that furthered his crush on Kaira.

"There should only be three fights after this." Shizuka said, trying to sooth her team. Kimiko puffed her cheeks out and Zai nodded.

"Let's see, there's a sand sibling left, a sound ninja…" Kimi thought aloud.

"Chouji, two of the older Leaf ninja and…" Zai continued.

"Hinata." Kaira looked down at Hinata. Shizuka leaned back against the wall.

"Round 8: Hinata Hyuuga and Neji Hyuuga."

"Hyuuga?" Zai repeated. Kimi crossed her arms as Kaira looked at Hinata who looked shocked. When Neji started his way down to the arena, Kimiko jumped as she noticed that was the boy she saw for the past two days.

"That's Neji Hyuuga?" Kimiko asked.

"Obviously." Zai rolled his eyes.

"Won't this be an interesting match, Shizuka-sensei?" Kaira asked. Shizuka took a few steps forward and saw Hinata approaching Neji. Shizuka's eyes narrowed as she looked at Neji. Then her eyes widened as she read his mind. "Shizuka-sensei?" Kaira asked, snapping her teacher out of it.

"Oh, yes it will. A battle of Byakugan." Shizuka absentmindedly replied. _That Neji, is he intending to-_

"Begin!"

The match started off slow, as Shizuka stayed on guard, but they both started using their Hyuuga clan jutsus, but after awhile of just hitting each other, Hinata had all her chakra points sealed, leaving her helpless.

Team 9 were nerved by the whole fight and Kimi even wanted to punch Neji now.

As Neji started going in for the killing move, most Jounin, including Shizuka, jumped in to stop him. Which made Hinata forfeit.

Kaira, Kimi, and Zai turned around to make sure that was their sensei down there. Kimiko made a fist before turning back to the fight.

"That Neji guy makes me angry. He and Hinata are cousins aren't they? So why the heck did he try to kill her?" Kimiko ranted.

"It is strange." Kaira agreed. Zai nodded his agreement with Kaira. The arena started clearing up as Shizuka flashed behind her team, scaring them half to death.

"I had a feeling he'd try that." Shizuka said. Kimiko nodded, understanding that she read his mind.

"I feel like punching him." Kimiko said like it was totally normal. Zai shook his head, not understanding his sister at all. Kaira looked down and saw Hinata being loaded up onto a stretcher.

"Now, now, Kimiko." Shizuka tried.

"Oh, by the way, Shizuka-sensei, I'm proud of you." Kimiko smiled. Shizuka cocked her head to the side. "When you went down to save Hinata, Kakashi-sensei was there and you didn't pick a fight with him." Shizuka tensed up. She didn't even notice her brother down there. "Really? Wow." Kimiko instantly read her mind.

"I've been meaning to ask, but why do you hate your brother so much?" Zai questioned. Shizuka jumped and looked away. Kimiko tried to read her mind, but saw the she was shut out now.

"No fair, Shizuka-sensei." Kimiko pouted. Kaira didn't even pay attention to the entire conversation between her team, she was too busy making sure Hinata was alright.

"Two in a row. Kiba and Hinata." Kaira whispered. Kimiko looked at Kaira.

"Are you worried about Team 8?" Kimiko asked. Kaira looked over at Shizuka, who was now in her own little world. "Hm?" Kimiko looked over at Shizuka too. "Seriously, she isn't even listening to us anymore is she?"

"Nope." Zai contributed. They all sighed.

"Round 9: Gaara and Rock Lee."

"Is that the older genin?" Kimiko asked, seeing Rock Lee proudly come down from the stands. "It is! One point for Kimiko."

"You're unexpectedness is quite annoying." Zai stated, rubbing the side of his head. Kaira stood right by Zai, and they were pretty close. They're arms were touching, making Zai embarrassed. "Oh, Gaara must be the final sand sibling." Zai said after seeing the red head walking down to the arena.

"They both look tough." Kaira stated, observing Gaara more than Lee. "I think we should ask for Shizuka-sensei's opinion." Kaira said, saying 'Shizuka-sensei' louder than the other words in the sentence.

"If she wasn't in her own world still." Kimiko nodded, seeing Shizuka against the wall, spacing out.

"Seriously, what did you say to her!" Kaira roared at Kimiko.

"I just tried to read her mind and she shut me out!" Kimiko whined.

"You two, the match is starting." Zai put in out of nowhere. Kaira continued to glare as Kimiko was she cowards behind her unwilling brother.

"Begin!"

The fight started off heated with Lee using his taijutsu on Gaara's shield. Lee quickly broke through it, surprising everyone, but soon after Gaara started to attack Lee. Gaara's attacks looked fatal, so Lee had better be cautious. After awhile of cat and mouse, Gaara finally could Lee and started crushing his arm and leg.

Team 9, except their sensei, all were speechless at the scene.

"Stop!" Yamouri yelled from across the room. Everyone look at her, even Gaara, who just seemed to stare up at her. As Gaara was distracted, Guy went down and forfeited for Lee. Lee had a broken arm and leg from his fight.

"What the heck…" Kimiko muttered. Zai just stared at the scene with his mouth hanging open.

"Meow…" Mei said in a scared tone.

"Hey, what happened here?" Shizuka finally asked looking over the arena. She then looked at Kaira and quickly read her mind. "Oh, seems like a destructive fight." Was all she said. "I wonder if Lee will be okay…?" Shizuka then looked at Guy who was worrying about this favorite student. "I'll be back." She said before disappearing and appearing right by Guy and Lee.

"Is anyone else unnerved?" Kimiko asked, looking Zai and then Kaira. Kaira just kept her eyes on Gaara, all the way back to his squad.

"He intended to kill Lee, too." Zai murmured. "He advanced to the finals, so I worry for his next opponent."

_Zai's right. Sasuke is in the finals too, so, what if Sasuke has to fight him?_ Kaira shuttered. _Sasuke is strong, but I wonder if he can even fight against Gaara…_

"Meoww."

Everyone looked at Mei and Kaira just looked at the ground and Kimiko turned away. Zai cocked his head to the side, not understanding. They all stood there in silence until Shizuka came back, startling them again. Can't she just walk from place to place like a normal person?

"How's Lee?" Kaira asked. Shizuka put her hand behind her neck and averted her eyes.

"They don't know yet." Shizuka muttered. Everyone's eyes widened, already suspecting the worst. "Now, now, c'mon, there's one more fight before this part is over."

"Now that it's coming to an end, it makes you realize we past the first part of the exam with ease, yet we had trouble with the second part and now, we didn't even make it to the next round." Kimiko mumbled. Kaira and Zai locked eyes. Meaning more to one than the other. Though they both agreed that Kimiko was right. It feels strange to have failed like this.

"There's always next year." Shizuka smiled, reading their minds. "This chuunin exam, the competition was a lot tougher than usual."

_Still, I won my match, but I was still disqualified…_ Kaira thought, clenching her fist. _I could have represented my team in the third round._

"Round 10: Chouji Akimichi and Dosu Kinuta."

"Ah, it's Chouji's turn!" Kimiko cheered. Kaira crossed her arms and smirked.

"His opponent is the last of the sound ninja, huh?" Zai asked, nodding as he saw both contestants entering the arena. Ino called Chouji fat to try and get him pumped, but whatever works.

The match soon started and Chouji tried to win with his clan jutsu, but was quickly defeated by Dosu and his sound attack. Everyone thought it went but quick, and it was end of the preliminaries. The proctor then said everyone who won their matches was to train for the third round of the chuunin exam, which will be held in one month.

"Shizuka-sensei, should we get going?" Kimiko asked, turning away from the area and towards her squad. Shizuka looked around and saw all the other teams were talking and walking down from the stands.

"Yes; I'll take you all out to eat, if you want." Shizuka replied. Kimiko instantly brightened and Zai smirked, but Kaira was still looking down at the stadium, looking zoned out. "Something wrong, Kaira?" Shizuka asked at the exact same time as Team 9 was passing. Kaira turned slowly and saw Shino and Kurenai walking quietly.

"Shino!" Kaira called, rushing over to him. Shizuka just stood back, already knowing what was on Kaira's mind even though she didn't answer her.

Shino just watched Mei as she past him, but not without eye contact. Kurenai wondered what Kaira wanted from her squad, but not in a mean, just in a curious way. "Hey, Kaira."

"Are you going to check on Kiba and Hinata?" Kaira asked, making a sad face. Shino just nodded once, and opened his mouth to speak, but Mei cut him off.

"Meow!" Mei purred, rubbing against his leg. He flinched as he slowly, and slyly, moved away from her.

"Yeah, we are." Shino finally replied.

"Hinata was taken to the hospital, so we're going to the back room to get Kiba, he should be better by now." Kurenai added in.

"That's a shame about Hinata, I'm sure she'll make it." Shizuka smiled at Kurenai, who half smiled. "Kaira, why don't you go and see Kiba with them?" Shizuka offered. Kaira smiled, knowing Shizuka read her mind.

"Thanks, Shizuka-sensei." Kaira answered, tugging on Shino's sleeve. He nodded and Kaira, Shino, and Kurenai walked down the stairs and towards the back room, where Kiba was.

"So, are we going to go eat without Kaira?" Kimiko asked, pouting. Zai just watched Kaira leave.

"We'll see what happens." Shizuka shrugged. "Zai?"

"If it's not too much trouble. Shizuka-sensei…" Zai started, locking eyes with Shizuka before she smirked.

"So, Shino, your match was amazing." Kaira complimented. Mei meowed at Shino again and he just nodded. _He sure does keep to himself still, huh?_ Kaira noted.

"I liked your match, Kaira." Shino nodded. Kaira flinched before showing a slight blush from embarrassment. "The beginning part." Shino added.

"That's right, Kaira, I had no idea you were so strong." Kurenai agreed, making things more awkward. Kaira just wanted to forget her match and her strange deadliness.

"Oh, well, it's mostly Mei; I think I just reply on Mei too much." Kaira giggled, smiling down at Mei. "She's everything to me." Kaira mumbled under her breath right before they heard a dog bark. Akamaru's bark.

"I see Akamaru is perfectly fine." Kurenai smiled. They saw Kiba, still laying on the stretcher. Kaira felt her heart sink, still seeing him laying there.

"Kiba!" Kaira called, rushing over to him. He opened his eyes and sat up. He seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Kaira, I glad you came." Kiba replied, relaxing a bit. He was half-expecting Kaira to attack him or something, to continue their previous argument, but nothing. "Oh, Shino and Kurenai-sensei too." He said as his team walked towards him.

"I take it you heard about Hinata." Shino stated. Kiba laid back down and nodded. He didn't have much to say about the subject, but Kaira could tell Kiba was angered about it.

"Yes, well, you seem to be doing better, Kiba." Kurenai commented, seeing all his wounds were bandaged up and he looked a lot better.

"I'm glad." Kaira whispered, not being heard by everyone around her.

"I feel as good as new, except that my wounds hurt a bit when you put pressure to them, but other then that…" Kiba shrugged like it was nothing. "Are all the matches over already?"

"They just finished the last one and everybody is going home." Kurenai nodded.

"Excuse me, ma'am, you're in sensei, right?" A man cam up to Kurenai and asked. "I need to talk to you about his wounds and pills."

"I'll be right back." Kurenai told the kids before leaving with the man.

"Aw man! I have to take some pills?" Kiba groaned, making a face.

"They're painkillers, it's nothing serious." Kaira remarked, crossing her arms as she saw Mei and Akamaru started running around the small room.

"Hey!" Shino raised his voice. Kiba sat back up, surprised and Kaira quickly looked back at him. Shino was looking at their pets, playing. Akamaru was jumping back and forth in a playful way as Mei had her paws over something.

"Uh oh, looks like Mei has something." Kaira giggled, amused by her little black kitty. Akamaru barked a couple of times, making Kiba smile as well. It seems like everyone was amused by the scene except for Shino. I wonder why.

Just then, Mei released her paws and a bug started crawling away from her. That explains it. Mei meowed as she started tossing it between her tiny paws.

"Kaira, call down your cat." Shino begged.

_Call down? _Kaira tried her best to hold in her laugh. Before Kaira could finish, the bug flew out of the room, making Mei give chase, and making Akamaru give chase to Mei.

"Noo!" Shino said, before quickly walking out of the room, following Akamaru, who was following Mei, who was chasing the bug. When Shino was gone, Kaira and Kiba both busted out laughing.

"Oh geez!" Kaira laughing, showing no sign of letting up.

"Shino just showed us a side other than his cool side." Kiba laughed. After awhile of laughing, they finally died down and just smiled at each other. They were alone in the room now.

"Oh yeah! The third round is in one month, so it'll give the contestants time to practice." Kaira finally said. Kiba nodded, but clenched his fist.

"Naruto will be in the third round, won't he?" Kiba asked, looking down at his lap. Kaira made a sad face, seeing Kiba angered again.

_Kiba is still angry he lost to Naruto, I'm sure he accepted that Naruto is strong, but still. Losing in the chuunin exams sure is saddening… _Kaira thought, looking around the empty room._ How could I cheer him up…? _She thought and thought for some ideas, but couldn't come up with anything, until… "Ah!" Kaira concluded. Kiba looked at her with a strange face. "How about we go eat right now? It'll be my treat." Kaira smiled. Kiba slightly blushed.

"Right now?" He questioned. She nodded. "Just you and me?" He pressed on. She nodded again. "Okay." He agreed, sliding over to the edge of the stretcher and standing.

"You seem perfectly fine, though." Kaira commented, watching him test his legs by jumping and stretching them.

"I'm feeling like some good raman." Kiba smirked.

"You sound like Naruto." Kaira giggled.

"Being in the forest sure does work up an appetite, huh?" Kiba asked.

"That's right. Now that you mention that," Kaira looked down to her feet, then back up at Kiba. "It feels like I haven't eaten for a day. I'm famished."

"Kiba, the medical ninja wants you to take a painkiller at least once a day with any meal for the next week." Kurenai said, holding a bottle as she came in. "Ah, your legs seem better, that's good." She nodded, handing him his pills. "Hm? Where's Shino?" Kaira and Kiba looked at each other as they both smiled again.

"He's chasing Mei." Zai said, turning around from the doorway.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stand outside the door, Zai." Kurenai said. Kaira cocked her head to the side and Kiba blushed.

"Well, I came to check on Kiba, but Kiba and Kaira seemed to be having a good time, so I didn't want to interrupt." Zai replied. Did Zai hear everything they had talked about? "Oh, Kurenai-sensei, Kaira and Kiba are going to eat out, so we were wondering if you and Shino would like to come too? Of course, Team 9 would be going along as well."

"That sounds great." Kurenai gently smiled at the shocked Kaira. "How kind of you to invite us." Kiba's jaw dropped. He was only looking forward to going because it was only going to be him and Kaira, but he couldn't tell his sensei that, now could he?

_ZAI!_ Kaira hissed in her head, clenching her fist as him. _He was never this annoying before._ Kaira rolled her eyes.

**.:3 Hours Later:.**

Teams 8 and 9 were in the middle of Konoha, debating where to eat at. It was dark outside, but they were so hungry they didn't really care.

"Wow, it's so nice to be eating with Team 8." Kimiko cheered, totally oblivious to what had happened earlier. "It's too bad Hinata couldn't be here though…" Kimi then got sad. Shizuka was busy talking to Kurenai about petty things, leaving the choice of where to eat, up to the kids. They couldn't eat raman, like how Kiba wanted because it's more of a meal for a small group.

"What are you hungry for, Shino?" Zai asked, totally ignoring Kiba.

_Zai seemed to have gotten more outgoing since the exams ended. I wonder what's gotten into him…? _Kaira thought before shaking her head and turning towards Kiba, who now had Akamaru on his head. "So, Kiba, anything else you feel like having? The possibilities are endless." Kaira said, spreading out her arms and signaling for the bright lights in Konoha.

"Meow, Meow!" Mei meowed, taking off down the street.

"Ah, Mei!" Kaira called, running after her kitty. Kiba looked back at Zai, who was busy trying to start a conversation with Shino. Zai didn't even notice Kaira had taken off. Kiba smirked before taking off after Kaira. Kimi noticed, but didn't bother saying anything as she just smirked. "Geez Mei, where are going now?" Kaira wondered aloud. Mei stopped in front of a store and Kaira instantly recognized it. It was a fabric store. "What is it, Mei?"

"Meow!" Mei walked over to the display case and jumped on the ledge. "Meoww." Mei lightly tapped the glass at where a beautiful purple fabric was on display.

"Oh, you like it?" Kaira asked, bending down and studying it. "It's really pretty, Mei." Kaira smiled, reaching and petting Mei. Mei just licked Kaira's finger.

"It matches you two." Kiba said, startling Kaira and Mei. He slowly walked towards them and looked at the fabric.

"Oh, Kiba, I didn't know you followed us." Kaira blushed. "Where's everyone else?" Kaira asked, looking past him.

"They didn't see you run off, I guess." Kiba shrugged like it was nothing.

"I didn't run off!" Kaira fought. Kiba just shrugged again, angering Kaira. "Let's get back then." Kaira huffed, picking up Mei and walking past Kiba. He glanced at the fabric.

"I'll catch up with you." Kiba said. Kaira didn't look back at him, but just put her hand into the air as she walked back to where their teams were.

"Oh, hey, Kaira." Kimiko smirked. Zai looked up from Shino.

"Did you go somewhere, Kaira?" Zai asked. Kaira shrugged as she tightened her hold on Mei. Zai didn't even notice that Kiba was gone. Maybe he just didn't care, though. "Oh, so we voted to go eat at the new restaurant." Zai said. Kaira nodded as she looked back, seeing if Kiba was coming yet.

"Looking for someone?" Kimi asked, teasing Kaira. Kaira just blushed but shook her head as she followed Zai, Shino, Shizuka, and Kurenai. "I heard this new restaurant has about everything!" Kimi squealed.

"Oh really?" Kaira asked absentmindedly. Kimi ponders about Kaira while they enter the semi-large restaurant.

"You should stay here and wait for Kiba, to make sure he finds us." Kimi finally says, pushing Kaira back outside before she skipped over to where the rest of the group found a table. Kaira blushed, feeling weird to be waiting for Kiba. She fidgeted around and Mei wanted to be let go from her arms. Kaira sighed before letting Mei down.

"What should we do, Mei?" Kaira asked, slightly blushing. She petted Mei's soft fur again before she heard Akamaru's usual bark. Kaira stood back up and saw Kiba and Akamaru walking towards them.

"I was wondering where everyone went." Kiba said like he was angry. "So this is where we're eating at?" He asked, stopping right by Kaira.

"Yeah, everyone already decided." Kaira replied. Kaira reached into his jacket pocket.

"Here." He simply said, throwing a small white bag at her. She barely caught it. "It's for Mei." Kiba huffed.

"Meow?"

"Arf!"

"Oh," Kaira said, opening the bag and seeing the same purple fabric from earlier neatly folded and cut. Kaira took it out and unfolded it. It was cut into a long, but small piece.

"It goes like this." Kiba said, taking it from Kaira's hands and bending down as Mei walked over to him. He wrapped it around Mei's neck just right and even made a bow out of it at the back of her neck. Kaira bent down too. Kiba smiled as he gazed down at Mei. Kaira blushed at Kiba and Mei. "There."

"Wow." Kaira uttered. Kiba made eye contact with Kaira as she smiled. It was his turn to blush. "Thank you so much, Kiba." Kaira whispered. They were near the ground for awhile, just looking at each other until Kiba finally stood up and yawned.

"Yeah, well, I did it for Mei." Kiba yawned, being his stubborn self again. Kaira picked up Mei and examined the purple bow. She'll put up with Kiba's stubbornness just for tonight as they walked into the restaurant and joined their Teams. Kiba was worried about what he had discovered that night…

* * *

**Review, PLEASE! ^^**


	14. Mysterious Girls

**Thanks for reading his far ^^ I appriciate it!**

* * *

.:One Week Later:.

_There sure has been a lot going on lately._ Kaira thought as she took a seat at her table in her kitchen. She yawned and leaned back. Mei jumped up on the table and meowed at Kaira. Kaira couldn't help but smile at Mei's purple bow that Kiba had bought her right after the preliminaries. "Hey, Mei, what should we do today?" Kaira asked reaching over and petting her. Kaira then caught a whiff of citrus. "Mei, are you still playing in the oranges?" Kaira asked, checking Mei's paws. A few nights ago, Mei came home with the scent of citrus, it was strange, but Kaira worries about what Mei does when she leaves the house at night now.

"Meow!" Mei seemed to cheer. Kaira just stopped worrying about it as she sat back again.

"I wish Sasuke wasn't training; I want to spend some time with him before the third exam, but I also want him to win, so…" Kaira thought aloud to herself. Kaira hadn't seen Sasuke since the preliminaries and the word around town was he went out to train with Kakashi and probably won't be back until the third round. "I could go to his house and check, but…" Kaira just kept thinking aloud. "Maybe we should train." Kaira concluded.

Then there was a knock on Kaira's door and she got up and walked over to the door. She was glad someone was at her door; hopefully it was Kimi, so they could spend the day together. Kaira opened the door slowly and caught a glimpse of red hair standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Kaira! Long time no see, right?" Asa Nekoosa, the girl who found Mei, said, smiling and waving at her. Asa was 17, so she wasn't really a girl, but she still was a girl.

"Oh, Asa.." Kaira replied. Asa stopped smiling and studied Kaira.

"Were you expecting someone else? Maybe that Inuzuka boy you were with the other day?" Asa asked. Kaira jumped and shook her head. Asa seemed to remind Kaira of Kimiko in a way.

"Asa, how did you know where I lived?" Kaira questioned, noticing Tundra sitting patiently at Asa's feet. Asa looked like a normal citizen, but she actually wasn't. She was an Anbu Black Op.

"My sources." Asa replied. "I just wanted to check up on you. I heard you were in the Chuunin Exam, how did you do?" Asa asked.

"Oh, I failed the preliminaries on the third round." Kaira replied, rather awkwardly.

"Aw, that's too bad. Well, I didn't pass my Chuunin exam right away either." Asa smiled.

"Oh, right, come in." Kaira finally said, letting Asa come in and sit at her couch. "So I'm guessing you've been away on missions?"

"Oh, well, maybe." Asa shrugged, keep her missions top secret. Asa, striped cat, Tundra, jumped up on his owner's lap and cuddled her. "Aw, Tundra."

"Would you like anything to drink or a snack?" Kaira asked, leaning over her chair as Mei just studied Tundra. Asa looked up at Kaira's ceiling before playing with her long red hair.

"Nah, I think I'm good." Asa smiled. "Kaira, what are you doing today?" Asa asked, leaning forward towards said. Kaira tried to think, but remember she was asking Mei the exact same question earlier.

"Oh, nothing, I guess." Kaira shrugged, clearly already bored by her day. "Maybe Mei and I will go to the store and buy some groceries, just for the fun of it." Kaira smiled down at Mei, who agreed with the idea. Asa smirked slyly before continuing on.

"Well, unless you're booked up at the grocery store all day, would you like to come training with me?" Asa asked, shyly. Kaira instantly lit up as she clapped her hands together.

"I'd love that!" Kaira squealed. "Wow! Training with an anbu black op! It's gonna be amazing." Kaira fangirled like a little child. Mei started running around her owned, showing her excitement too.

"You don't mind if my friend comes along too, right?" Asa asked, standing up and holding Tundra as she walked over to the door. "Actually, me and her were going to train, but I wanted to ask you too." Asa opened Kaira's door and a blonde haired girl was standing on the other side, waving at Kaira. "Kaira, this is my friend, Yuuna Yumiko." Asa said, signaling for the beautiful lady who also had emerald green eyes. Yuuna was only one year older than Asa.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kaira." Yuuna said, having a mature aura about her. Yuuna was wearing a short gray sweater with short shorts underneath.

"Ah, nice to meet you too, Yuuna." Kaira replied, bowing a little. _Wow, these girls are so much older than me, it feels weird to be around them._

"Well, shall we go?" Asa asked, breaking Yuuna's eye contact with Kaira.

"Oh, right, lemme pack a few things!" Kaira said, before disappearing into her bedroom. Asa walked out of Kaira's house and stood right by Yuuna.

"Well, what do you think?" Asa whispered in Yuuna's ear. Yuuna just shrugged casually.

"She seems plain; it makes me sleepy." Yuuna then yawned right on cue. She then reached up to her ninja headband on her forehead and gently touched it. "I need more paint." Yuuna urged, bringing her hand down and studying it. Asa just stared at Yuuna with a bored face.

"Yuuna, be careful; and don't be so disrespectful!" Asa hissed lowly. Yuuna glanced at Asa before sighing.

"I hate this village." Yuuna sighed. Asa made a fist and went closer to Yuuna.

"You got a problem with my village?" Asa growled. Tundra hissed along with his owner.

"No hot guys." Yuuna pointed out, making Asa fall back. Asa rolled her eyes. "Aren't you usually the calm one, Asa?" Yuuna raised her eyebrow. Asa just crossed her arms and looked away. The serious-but-jolly type and the boy-crazy type don't seem to get along.

"Sorry I took so long!" Kaira emerged from her room with weapons in her hands. She was trying to quickly put them in her weapon pouch. "So, where's your training area, Asa?" Kaira asked, running out and closing her door. Mei looked up at Tundra, who snubbed her.

"It's not far from the main gate." Asa replied as they all started to walk. Kaira nodded as she saw Mei prancing around.

"You have an adorable cat." Yuuna said, smiling down at Mei. "I love that purple ribbon, where did you get it?" Kaira jumped and just shrugged.

"Oh, uh, I just found it." Kaira lied. Asa noticed Kaira's hesitation.

_I bet Inuzuka gave it to her.._ Asa concluded, nodding to herself.

"So, Yuuna, where do you work at? I've never seen you around." Kaira asked.

"Oh, I just work at the Ninja Academy; I'm the backstage staff, so no one would usually see me." Yuuna replied, faking a smile. "I'm the one who has access to all the ninjas in this village." Yuuna said rather darkly.

_That makes me feel uneasy for some reason…_ Kaira thought before looking away from Yuuna. Asa elbowed Yuuna, who just stuck her tongue out at her. So much for a mature aura about her.

They all just kept walking in silence, except for the fact that random cats came up to them, meowing and looking at both Mei and Tundra. Apparently, cats come around a lot when there are one or more Nekoosa together. As they neared the gate, they heard rustling coming by a nearby tree.

"Alright, Akamaru!" Kiba's booming voice startled Kaira. Akamaru came running out of the three, chasing a cat and Kiba was running after them. Kaira glared as Asa just starred at him.

"So, do you two take offense to that or something?" Yuuna asked, looking at both Kaira and Asa, who were both frozen. Asa quickly snapped out of it and brought up her hand and snapped her fingers. Tundra grew bigger and took a few steps towards Akamaru and the cat before letting out a ferocious roar. Akamaru quickly stopped as the cat got away. Kiba stopped too and looked at the tiger he was facing.

"Who do you think you are, picking on a cat like that?" Asa hissed, walking forward. Kaira wanted to say something, but wasn't exactly sure what it was. As Asa neared him, she saw who he was and quickly changed face. "Ah, young Inuzuka." Asa cheered, making Kaira wonder what was wrong with Asa. "Forgive me." Asa bowed out as Tundra took a step back.

_What the heck! _Kaira thought, seeing Asa. "Asa, don't bow to him." Kaira hissed, talking a few steps forward. "He did, after all, chase that cat." Kaira preferred to blame Kiba rather than Akamaru. Kiba looked over at Kaira, not knowing she was there.

"Oh, Kaira!" Kiba rushed, slightly blushing as he averted his eyes. Kaira put her hand on her hips as Asa stood up and stared between them. When Yuuna noticed Kiba slightly blush, she quickly picked up the situation, as she crossed her arms and licked her lips.

"I see you still aren't a fan of cats." Kaira sighed as Mei and Akamaru looked at each other. Kiba shook his hair before shrugging.

"Akamaru and I only do it when we're bored, but we normally wouldn't." Kiba said like it was all fun and games.

"Kiba!" Kaira yelled, getting angry with him. Yuuna simply clapped her hands as she smirked in a seductive way. Everyone looked at her as she glanced over towards Kiba.

_If I heard correctly, this boy's name is Kiba Inuzuka, huh? It also appears he has feelings for our dear little Kaira, but I wonder how she feels towards him._ Yuuna thought in her head as she took a short walk towards Kaira. "Kaira, dear, I'm sure this boy didn't mean to offend anybody by it." Yuuna whispered, sending shivers down Kaira's spine. Asa pouted, wondering if she should stop Yuuna.

"Yeah, I won't do it anymore, if that's what you want, Kaira." Kiba piped up. Yuuna studied Kiba, questioning how he is able to speak when she's near him; most males aren't able to.

_Hmm, this boy must really like Kaira._ Yuuna speculated. Kaira rolled her eyes as she turned away and faced Asa.

"Whatever you want, Kiba." Kaira shrugged off. "Shall we get going again, Asa?" Kaira asked, looking over at Asa, who jumped and nodded. Tundra tucked his head low before growling at Akamaru, who was innocent.

"Boy, your name was Kiba, correct?" Yuuna asked, turning towards him. Kiba looked away from Kaira and towards Yuuna. He nodded once, not speaking.

_What is she doing?_ Kaira wondered in her head as she and Asa started walking off, leaving Yuuna and Kiba not far behind.

"Why don't you come training with us?" Yuuna asked, smiling brightly. "I'd love your company." She said, making a circle around him. Akamaru made a small whimpering noise as Kiba felt confused.

Kaira jumped and spun around to gaze at Yuuna and Kiba. Asa stopped and looked at Kaira.

"Meow?" Mei meowed, rubbing against Kaira's leg and looking at Kiba. Yuuna smirked in her head as she noticed Kaira looking. Yuuna then hugged Kiba from behind and came close to his face, making him blush.

"Please? Kiba?" Yuuna sang his name like she knew him. Asa noted that Kaira then made a fist at the scene.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess I could." Kiba said, struggling to get free from Yuuna, surprising her. "Let's go, Akamaru." Kiba said once he was free. Akamaru barked happily as they started running towards Kaira and Mei. "Did you hear, Kaira, I was invited to come train with you!"

"Ah, yeah." Kaira nodded, blushing herself. Yuuna just stared at Kiba's back with her jaw open.

_Did that boy really just run away from me and towards that… that girl!_ Yuuna hissed, gaining her composure. _If that's the case, then I'll up my power._

_Yuuna just got told._ Asa sang in her head. Kiba and Akamaru caught up to Kaira and Mei. "So here's the gate, and the training area is this way." Asa said as the stood right in the middle of the main gate. Yuuna was trailing behind quite a bit. "Let's get going then." Asa smiled as she took off, making it difficult for Kaira and Kiba to see where she went.

"Wow, she's fast." Kaira said, running into the trees. Kiba followed her into the forest. Kaira could see Asa in the distance, followed by Tundra, who was now a tiger again.

"Wait up, Kaira." Kiba said, falling behind. Kaira simply rolled her eyes. After a few minutes of running, Kaira and Kiba finally came upon an opening, where Asa and Tundra were already sitting by a small pond. Wait a minute…

"This is Team's 9 training grounds." Kaira concluded. Asa nodded as she petted Tundra.

"I figured this one was closer, so I came here, besides, it gives you the advantage, Kaira." Asa smiled. Kaira plopped down on the ground as Kiba crossed his arms. "So how about this scenario: it's an all out two on two fight, winner takes all." Asa questioned. Kaira and Kiba looked at each other.

"That seems intense." Kiba muttered. "But I'm for it." He then grinned confidently.

"Don't worry, if things get out of control, we'll stop." Asa yawned. Kaira cocked her head to the side as Mei crawled into her lap.

"Meow."

"This will be good practice, true." Kaira nodded. "But it's two kids against two adults, one of which are an anbu black op."

"Let's go!" Kiba yelled excitedly. Asa smiled as she kept petting Tundra. Kaira stood up as she turned towards Kiba.

"You sure about this?" Kaira asked. Kiba nodded quickly as Akamaru barked.

"Begin." Asa chimed. As soon as she said begin, Yuuna came charging out of the forest, with rocks following her. Kiba and Kaira barely noticed in time; right before the rocks covered them.

"Over already?" Yuuna grinned as she jumped on top on the pile.

"Not quite, Yuuna." Asa said, standing up.

"Meow!" Mei meowed, walking around the pile of rocks. The air around that area starting getting sharp before it threw Yuuna off and back into the forest. All the rocks flew off of them, revealing a wind sphere around Kaira and Kiba.

"That was a close one." Kiba sighed, looking up at the sphere.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Kaira muttered, snapping her hands and letting the sphere die down.

"Impressive." Asa nodded.

"Asa, are you going to do something!" Yuuna shrieked, revealing herself from the forest, after she was covering her left arm, which was cut during Kaira's air control.

"In a minute, Yuuna." Asa said, holding up one finger. Yuuna pouted as Kaira and Kiba locked eyes.

_These two don't have much teamwork, they're arguing already!_ Kaira thought. "Hey, Kiba, should we split up or gang up on one of them?" Kaira whispered in Kiba's ear. Kiba looked over at Yuuna who was glaring at Asa and then at Asa, who yawned and acted like everything was fine.

"Gang up on Yuuna." Kiba replied, snapping his head up and bent down. "Ready, Akamaru?" Akamaru jumped on Kiba's back as Kiba made some hand signs. Akamaru soon turned into another Kiba and they both growled at Yuuna.

"Oh, how scary." Yuuna shivered, taking a step back.

"Fang-over-Fang!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru started spinning and both flew up into the air.

_That's the move he used against Naruto._ Kaira noted. _I guess it's our turn, Mei._ "Cat Instincts." Kaira bent down as well and Mei jumped over her owner and took a dash for Yuuna.

"Ganging up on me, eh?" Yuuna questioned herself as she smirked at them. Yuuna quickly made hand signs as she dodged Kiba and Akamaru's first attack.

"Ffft!" Mei hissed as she dove for Yuuna's face. Yuuna took a step back as she made one more hand sign. Tundra jumped out of, what seemed to be no where, and tackled Mei to the ground.

"Mei!" Kaira gasped. She ran for Yuuna, but Yuuna released her jutsu.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillars Rising!" Yuuna said; then pillars came up from the ground all around her and Kaira.

"Kai!" Kiba roared, using his jutsu again and breaking through some of the early pillars.

_Tch, this boy already broke through some of the pillars!_ Yuuna said, bringing her hand up and biting her thumb nail. She leaned over and saw Asa still sitting on a nearby log. _At least Tundra is helping me. Asa is no help.._

"So, Yuuna, you have confidence in your close range attacks?" Kaira questioned, looking around the pillars. Yuuna flinched before taking out a kunai.

"Sure thing, sweetie." Yuuna glared. Kaira licked her lips before making a move for Yuuna. Yuuna blocked Kaira's claws with the kunai. They hit each other over and over again with no successful hits to one another. Unknown to Yuuna, Kiba and Akamaru were aiming and coming at her. Within a few seconds, Yuuna will be hit.

"I guess it's time for me to step in." Asa yawned, landing on Kiba's back, making him stop spinning. Asa's clone also pounced on Akamaru's back. Yuuna twirled around and caught a glimpse of Asa, Kiba and Akamaru.

"Finally, Asa." Yuuna teased. Asa smirked back to her teammate.

_Dammit, it looks like they have Kiba and I against a wall now…_ Kaira thought, studying the two girls. "Cat Companion Body Switch!"

"Whaaaat?" Yuuna questioned, turning and looking at Kaira, who was now Mei.

"Hmm?" Asa wondered. "That jutsu…"

"Hey, get off of me!" Kiba ordered from under Asa. "You're pretty heavy for a girl." Asa clenched her fist before hitting the ground right beside Kiba's head. The ground cracked and he flinched.

"What did you just say?" Asa asked.

_This girl is crazy! How will I get out of this and help Kaira..?_ Kiba wondered.

"Aaahhhhhhh!" Yuuna screeched, making everyone looked at her again. Mei, in Kaira's body, had grabbed Yuuna's neck and was holding her into the air. Yuuna was kicking her legs in the air, struggling to be released.

"Yuuna!" Asa yelled after her teammate. _I knew that jutsu was bad, but I didn't think Kaira's kitty could used the enhanced strength; this makes things worse!_

_Watch out, Asa._ Kaira hissed as she jumped on top of Asa. Kaira, in Mei, dug her claws into Asa's shoulders, making her erupt in agony.

Asa jumped up, releasing both Kiba and her shadow clone. Kiba silently thanked Kaira as she was being throw down to the ground by Asa.

"Tundra!" Asa called, making her kitty appear from the sky and pounce on Kaira.

_I-I guess we have to switch back…_ Kaira muttered, closing her eyes. She opened them and saw Yuuna in her hands. "Oh no." Kaira said, dropping Yuuna on the ground. She started coughing and gripped her throat.

"You'll pay for that, girlie." Yuuna coughed. She sat up and glared at Kaira. Kaira took a step back before hearing growling from above her. She looked up and saw Tundra jumping at her from above. "Earth style, Binding Rocks." Yuuna hissed, making hand signs. Kaira brought out a kunai and tried to fight off Tundra, but not before Tundra scratched Kaira's left shoulder.

"Kaira!" Kiba yelled, looking at Akamaru. "Fang-over-Fang!" Kiba said, using his famous jutsu again and aiming for Tundra. Asa flinched as she saw Tundra get hit and falling to the ground.

"Perfect." Yuuna whispered to herself, releasing her jutsu. Pebbles and rocks all over the place started floating into the air. They all flew up to Kiba, Kaira, and Akamaru. Only Mei was free, but she was laying on the ground, struggling to get up. All the rocks, at once, made contact with the three. "There we go."

"Yuuna, what are you doing?" Asa snapped, kneeling down by Tundra. "Master Raika said not to injure Kaira." As soon as Asa let those words out, she quickly covered her mouth. She wasn't supposed to speak of that.

"Relax, Asa, I used the only Earth jutsus I know; it's just fun and games." Yuuna shrugged like it was nothing. Then, all the rocks came falling down in a pile with a loud thump. "How about that, kitty?" Out of the pile of rocks, emerged Kaira, followed by Kiba, but Akamaru was nowhere to be found. Rocks were still clutched onto Kaira and Kiba, holding them down.

"There, your turn, Asa." Yuuna clapped, bowing out of the scene. Asa stood as she snapped her fingers. Air started spiraling around them, making a wall surrounding them.

"I believe this is our win." Asa smiled. Kaira looked at Kiba who pleaded with his eyes as he searched for Akamaru.

_We can't lose! Kiba is helpless without Akamaru now, if he found Akamaru, they could use their Fang-over-Fang and turn the tides now, but… Akamaru…_ Kaira thought, pitying Kiba. He was trying his best to look for Akamaru with rocks holding him down.

"Meow!" Mei jumped from a tree into the ring of air with her companion. Kaira then got an idea.

_Wait, if the dogs can do Fang-over-Fang, then cats surely can too, right? _Kaira asked herself, looking down at Mei. "Mei, transform into me!" Mei meowed once before a puff of smoke surrounded her and showed me once it cleared. Mei looked at m\Kaira and she nodded. Kaira bent down and Mei did the same. "Fang-over-Fang is inferior to…" Kaira took a deep breath and glanced at Mei "Claw-over-Claw!"

"What the heck is that?" Yuuna asked, watching Kaira and Mei spiral into the air and clash down onto the ground, throwing rocks everywhere. "Asa!"

"That isn't a Nekoosa jutsu." Asa flinched, jumping away with Tundra over her shoulder. Yuuna watched helplessly as Kaira and Mei unevenly aimed for her. _So she copied the Inuzuka boy's Fang-over-Fang jutsu, huh?_

_Damn, this girl is aiming for me! _Yuuna thought angrily. Kaira was barely a few inches from her as Yuuna made hand signs. "Lightning Release, Lightning Hound!"

"Yuuna! That's you're regular jutsu!" Asa yelled from above them. _Is she trying to kill Kaira? That's not the plan!_

Yuuna generated lightning out of her hands when she put them together. It quickly took the form of a large dog and it shielded her from Kaira and Mei's double attack. "Go after them." Yuuna ordered to her hound that roared loudly. Kaira collided with the lightning hound as Mei went above it and dove down for Yuuna. _Tch, Asa is no help._ Yuuna thought, looking at Asa who jumped down from the trees. Yuuna then looked over at Kiba, who was holding Akamaru, which he found second before, and watching the scene silently.

'Kaira' Kiba mouthed, stunned that she was able to copy his jutsu.

"Yuuna!" Asa yelled, rushing over to Yuuna. Asa was too slow though, Mei pounced down at where Yuuna was, but Yuuna barely dodged, but rolling over to a different spot. _This is out of hand now._ Asa thought, glancing at Kiba. The air around him died down, but he was still held down by the pebbles stuck to his body.

"I won't lose!" Yuuna shrieked, forcing her hands apart and making two lightning hounds. "Go!" The second lightning hound went straight for Mei. Kaira was still fighting with the first. "Eat the girl." Yuuna hissed at the first. Her lightning hound opened it's mouth wide and swallowed Kaira whole.

"Kaira!" Kiba yelled, forcing himself to stand up against his body's will. Kiba set down Akamaru, who whimpered. "Stay here, Akamaru." Kiba ordered.

"No, no!" Asa screeched, quickly making hand signs. "Yuuna's lightning hounds take only a one minute to kill what it eats."

"Fang-over-Fang!" Kiba said, joining in on the action. He swirled over to Yuuna and her first lightning hound. He hit it once, twice, three times, but it didn't budge.

"Stupid boy, it's useless, the girl is as good as-"

"Wind Style, Spiraling Wind Ball." Asa summoned, making a wind ball of chakra into her palm. She released it and it flew straight for Yuuna and hit her in the stomach. Yuuna went flying back with her lightning hounds following her. "Kiba, the lightning hound's weakness is Yuuna's hand." Kiba nodded as he quickly went and hit Yuuna's hand. Both lightning hounds quickly disappeared and Mei stopped spinning and fell to the ground, as did Kaira.

"Kaira!" Kiba called, rushing to her side.

_Yuuna, you lost sight of our mission._ Asa shook her head, looking over at the unconscious Yuuna. _We aren't supposed to kill her, that's Raika's job…_

Kiba looked over Kaira to make sure she was okay. The hound got her pretty good, her right leg was burned from the electricity and her left arm was lightly burned, but not as bad as her leg. "I'm sorry I wasn't here in time to help…" _What came over Yuuna?_

_Her killer instinct came out. That's the reason she was kicked out of her village, the hidden cloud village…_ Asa sighed, walking over and bent down next to Kaira. Mei turned back into her kitty form and staggered over to Kaira. Akamaru did the same and walked over to Kiba. "She has some electricity burns, huh?" Asa asked, before looked at Mei. "Mei, can you wake her?" Asa asked.

"Meow." Mei stepped on Kaira and her paws started glowing, like they did at the chuunin exam. Kaira's eyes fluttered opened as she looked at Kiba, then Mei, and finally Asa.

"What happened?" Kaira asked, sitting up. "Ow." She said, falling back down. Kiba caught her and Kaira blushed unknowingly.

"Let me help you." Kiba said, putting Kaira's uninjured arm over his should. He helped her up and kept her off of her injured leg.

"I am so sorry for Yuuna losing control." Asa bowed. Then she looked at both of them. "When Yuuna awakes, I'll knock some sense into her." Asa nodded. Kiba nodded.

"You better, next time she tries to injure Kaira, I'll step in just in time and I won't hold back either." Kiba replied sharply. Asa and Kaira flinched. Kaira also blushed from embarrassment.

"Wow, okay." Asa winked at Kaira.

"And just what is that for, Asa?" Kaira hissed, glaring at Asa.

"Clueless, huh, Kiba?" Asa then asked. Kiba rolled his eyes and turned his back to Asa.

"You have no idea." Kiba replied, helping the confused Kaira back to the village, followed by Mei and Akamaru. "We better get you back and bandaged, Kaira, I'll watch over you as you heal." Asa smiled as she watched them leave.

_They make a cute couple._ Asa noted. After they were gone, she turned to Yuuna, who was still unconscious. She strode over to Yuuna and looked down at her. "Oh, your headband." Asa saw that Yuuna's leaf symbol on her headband was coming off. It was now showing part of the hidden cloud symbol. "You idiot. When Raika hears of this, you'll get it, Yuuna." Asa shrugged like she was actually talking to Yuuna. "Raika gave us strict orders not to harm her little sister."

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**Review meh! ^^**


	15. Inuzuka or Uchiha?

**New Chapter! xD**

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.:One Week Later:.

It has been a week since the training 'accident' that happened to Kaira. Of course, she was getting better, but the burns were worse than Kiba expected.. She was unable to put all her weight on her right leg and whenever she touches something lightly with her right arm, it'll hurt her. Thank goodness, Kiba is there to watch over her.

"Kiba, what a surprise." Kaira said sarcastically, opening her door and seeing him there with bags in his hand. He nodded as he came in, followed by Akamaru.

"Meow!" Mei pounced on Akamaru from behind Kaira. During this past week, they've been playing nonstop. Which is good, since Kiba is at Kaira's house from 9am to 11pm. He comes as soon as Kaira wakes, every morning. It seems like they have a system, of course, Kiba enjoys going to Kaira's house, for obvious reasons. Actually, Kaira doesn't mind either, she's just too stubborn to admit it.

"Arf!" Akamaru pawed Mei lightly as they ran around Kaira's living room, chasing each other.

"Good morning, Kaira." Kiba said, brushing past her and going straight to the kitchen. Kaira let out a small sigh as she followed him, leaving behind the kitty and puppy. "What do you feel like for breakfast today?" Kiba asked, taking out food from his bag.

"Kiba, I'm thankful that you've been coming over everyday to watch over me, but I'm fine, honestly." Kaira tried. _He's been making me breakfast and dinner everyday now._ "I can cook on my own." She pressed on.

"It looks like your bandages need to be redone." Kiba inspected, bringing out a roll of bandage from his bag. "Sit down." He ordered.

_Of course he won't listen to me…_ Kaira thought as she sat at her table. Kiba kneeled down and started unrolling her current bandage.

_It's my fault why Kaira is hurt the way she is. If I jumped in sooner, she would be perfectly safe._ Kiba thought. _It's the least I could do for her; I don't want her hurt ever again._ Kiba looked up and locked eyes with Kaira. His eyes read worry, but hers read sadness. Which is worse?

"Knock knock!" Kimi's voice could be heard outside of Kaira's door. "Kaaaaairaaaa." Kimi sing-songed.

"Why is Kimi here?" Kaira whispered to herself. Kiba had just finished unwrapping her arm bandage when he walked over to the door and opened it.

"Kiba!" Kimi yelled, looking at him up and down. "You do know this is Kaira's house, right?" Kimi teased. "Oh wait, does this mean you two are finally dat-"

"Kimi!" Kaira interrupted, walking over to the door, holding her wounded arm softly. Kimi looked at Kaira and gasped when she saw her arm.

"Okay, I was wondering why I haven't seen you for more than a week, and now I know why." Kimi then looked down at Kaira's leg. "What happened?" Kimi shrieked, welcoming herself into Kaira's house.

"I'll tell you, hold on." Kiba said, grabbing Kaira's unharmed hand and pulling her into the kitchen. He sat her back down as she pouted. He started putting a new bandage on her. Kimi followed and leaned against the wall. "Last week, Kaira and I went training with some old ladies and one of them injured Kaira."

_Old ladies? They must be older teens._ Kimi though, nodding. "I see." Kimi looked over Kaira's burn. "It looks like an electricity burn. I never though someone from here would have a lightning attribute." Kimi noted. "Fire, duh; earth, sure; water, of course; air, yeah, but lightning? I don't think so." Kimi was suspicious. "Who was this lightning user?"

"Her name is Yuuna." Kiba said through gritted teeth.

_Aww how cute!_ Kimi thought about Kiba. "Yuuna huh? Never heard of her." Kimi shrugged it off then.

"Ow, Kiba." Kaira flinched, looking down at her bandages. "You're wrapping it too tight."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kiba said, blushing and redoing it. The whole room was silent as Kiba finished her arm and went down to her leg. "I'm just watching over her." Kiba finally added.

"That's too cute." Kimi giggled, not meaning to say that out loud. She quickly covered her mouth and hid her smile. "Just think, if Sasuke wasn't training, he'd be right here watching over her with you, Kiba." Kiba flinched, but ignored that comment._ This worked out in his favor, because now he has alone time with Kaira, without Sasuke being around._ Kimi nodded. Kaira let out a big sigh.

"I miss Sasuke." Kaira let out. Kimi made a face and Kiba tightened her leg bandage. "Ow!" She yelped. Kimi held back a laugh.

_Hey, that's what she gets when she has Kiba right here._ Kimi thought. The room was once again silent as Kiba redid her leg new bandage.

"Okay, there, all better." Kiba said, standing up and looking over the food Kaira had. "Now for breakfast?"

"I want a bowl of fruit." Kaira muttered.

"Oh, I didn't get fruit, I'll go out and get some" Kiba said. "Kimi, watch her while I'm gone." Kiba said, walking out of the kitchen. "Let's go, Akamaru." Kiba called, opening the door. Kaira watched Kiba until he left.

"Sooo," Kimi started. "I, personally, prefer you with Kiba." Kaira jumped and blushed.

"What?" Kaira hissed.

"You two are so cute together." Kimi stated. "However, I know you're a bit slow, so here it is, you like Kiba."

"Don't tell me how I feel." Kaira blushed, feeling weaker. _Kimi is lucky I'm feeling too weak to fight about this stuff._

"C'mon Kaira, he's even here at your house, taking care of you, that alone should mean something. Plus you let him, meaning something else too. I know, you're trying to be stubborn about it, but I can see right through you, you like him." Kimi accused like it was a bad thing. "This is too perfect! He's taking care of you; do you have any idea how many girls would kill for a hot boy to take care of her? Kaira, you are sooo lucky!" Kimi went on, fangirling.

"Kimi…" Kaira sighed, closing her eyes._ Impossible, Kiba doesn't like me._

"I just can't get over how cute you two are. I've been watching you, Kaira, and the way you look at him gives it away."

"Kimi…!"

"When he comes back, you should jump up and kiss him, telling him 'I love you, Kiba, I love you!' I bet that'll make him the happiest boy alive." Kimi squealed.

"Kimi!"

"Oh my, and did you see the way he jumped up when you wanted fruit? He even is going out of his way to get some for you, now that's true love right there."

"Kimi!" Kaira yelled. Kimi stopped and looked at her teammate. "I don't like, Kiba, he's only a friend."

_She's being stubborn again. _Kimi thought.

"If I like anyone, I'm sure it's Sasuke."

Kimi froze and her eyes looked like they were bulging out. She nearly chocked on her own spit. Kaira just gave Kimi a look like it was obvious. "S-Sasuke…?" Kimi repeated, not quite understanding.

"Yeah, Sasuke Uchiha." Kaira nodded. It was then, when Kimi exploded.

"Why him? Kiba is so much better for you! I mean, sure, Sasuke is pretty good looking and is pretty famous, but he just doesn't seem like the type of guy who can-"

"I know him better than you." Kaira hissed. "I know him better than anyone else."

"Seriously, Kaira, wow."

"Look, when we were younger, I met his parents…" Kaira trailed off. "I remember his mom asked that I marry her son when we grew up. Of course, I didn't understand what she meant, but now I do. His family made me feel like I was their own, when I wasn't. H-his brother always used to tease me about being Sasuke's girlfriend." Kaira held her hands together. "He's always been there for me, and he only shows me his soft side. We grew up together and we grew on each other. I-I think I like him, but I'm not sure."

_Well, it's obvious Sasuke likes Kaira. Oh, great, why are guys so attracted to her? Kaira has to make a choice, Sasuke or Kiba? Kiba is obviously better for her, but she feels safe around Sasuke. _Kimi sighed, feeling confused for her best friend. "You have a past with both boys, although I gotta admit, Sasuke's past with you is way better." Kimi pondered.

"But… lately, I've been blushing a lot around Kiba." Kaira mumbled. Kimi perked up and glared.

"You gotta be kidding me, Kaira! You just said you liked Sasuke, now you're saying you _might _like Kiba?" Kimi yelled. "Make up your mind!"

"I said I might like Sasuke and I said I have been blushing around Kiba." Kaira growled. "It doesn't matter who I like anyways." Kaira inserted stubbornly.

"Kaira, make a choice." Kimi sighed. "How about you kiss Kiba on the cheek when he gets back. If he blushes, he likes you, if you blush, you like him."

"I did that to Sasuke when we were younger." Kaira replied.

"Whoa, really? Did you blush?" Kimi asked, leaning towards Kaira.

"No, I was just a kid."

"Did he."

"I-I dunno!" Kaira said, looking away.

"Riiight, well I'm going to go home." Kimi said, walking over and hugging Kaira, who reluctantly hugged back. "I guess I'll see you at the chuunin exam in a week. Zai and I have training to do before then." Kimi said as she walked away.

"Bye, Kimi." Kaira waved. Kimi opened the closed the door and was gone. _Kimi is annoying at times, but she always makes me realize what I have to do, or how I feel._

"Meoww." Mei jumped on the table.

"Mei, what do you think? Kiba or Sasuke?" Kaira asked, petting Mei.

"Meowwww."

"You're right, I'm a ninja, I have no time to be thinking of such things." Kaira nodded, slapping herself lightly. "My main focus should be training, not thinking of boys." Things were silent for awhile as Kaira just watched Mei do her cute little gestures.

**.:15 Minutes Later:.**

"Okay, so I bought some peaches, plums, apples, grapes, kiwis, and-" Kiba said as he came walking in Kaira's door with three bags of fruit in both hands. "Akamaru has the watermelon." Kiba said, signaling for the door. Akamaru came walking in, as Kiba, carrying the watermelon.

Kaira was still sitting at the table. "Oh, thank you so much, Kiba." Kaira smiled at him and he blushed lightly as he set down the bags.

"Of course, Kaira." Kiba replied, going to get a knife to cut the fruit. "Did Kimi leave?"

"Yeah, she left a while ago…" Kaira nodded. Kaira watched Kiba carefully as Kiba started cutting the fruit and putting it into a bowl. Akamaru put down the watermelon and turned back into himself as he and Mei went to play. "Kiba, I'm glad to have a friend like you." Kaira said, looking down at her lap. "I really mean it, thank you."

_What got into Kaira while I was gone?_ Kiba wondered. "You're welcome. I'm just glad that we're actually friends now. Seeing you as a friend is way better than an enemy." Kaira smiled and Kiba half-smiled back. Smiling isn't really Kiba's thing, he just smirks most of the time.

Moments past and there was silence, except for when Mei and Akamaru made their noises of playtime. Kiba finally finished and handed the bowl to Kaira.

"Thanks." Kaira said shyly. _Dammit, I said my focus was training! _She shook her head as she stood up. "Hey, um, Kiba?" Kaira asked. Kiba looked at her and cocked his head to the side. "I'm glad you've been coming over everyday, taking care of me."

"It's no problem, Kai." Kiba said, eyeing Kaira cautiously. Kaira quickly walked over to him and kissed his cheek before anyone knew it. Both blushed, but Kaira spun around faster than she walked over to him. She touched her lips and tried to hide her blush. Kaira forgot to check to see if Kiba was blushing, but he was, majorly. Well, now it's obvious, isn't it?

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**Review, neh? ^^**


	16. The Last Event Has Begun

**ZOMG, Finally!  
Enjoy^^**

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**.:One Week Later:.**

Today was a big day, it was the day of the final exam for chuunin exam. Kaira woke up extra early, excited for the day to see all her friends fight and hopefully become chuunin. It was exactly 5am when Kaira woke. She slowly rolled out of bed, seeing how her burns still were sensitive; dang, she got burned good.

"Meow?" Mei meowed, walking in from the living room.

"Oh, hey Mei, you were awake before me, huh?" Kaira asked, bending down and picking up her kitty and walking into the kitchen and getting out some milk for Mei. Kaira yawned as she poured milk into a bowl for Mei. _Today is the finally chuunin exam. Kiba said he won't be coming today because of that. He told me he'd meet me there so we can sit together…_ Kaira blushed, shaking her head. _I better get ready to cheer for Sasuke._ "Here you go." Kaira said, setting down the bowl as Mei pounced it. "I'll go get dressed and we can take an early morning walk."

Kaira quickly went into her room and changed into her relaxing clothes. It was a long sleeve striped light brown and pinkish-red color with a simple maroon skirt, of course, black boots went in it, along with a rose colored bow to tie her hair up with. "There." Kaira finally said after adjusting her bow. Kaira hardly ever puts her hair up, but she sure looks lovely when she does. Right on cue, Mei, with her purple bow and all, came walking into Kaira's room. "Are you ready, Mei?" Kaira asked, picking up Mei and holding her in her arms. "Let's get going."

**.:20 Minutes in Town:.**

Kaira and Mei were casually walking down the street of Konoha watching very few people walk by them. Not very much people are up and about at this time of morning, and even less since today was the chuunin exams. All the stores were closed today for the exam anyway.

Suddenly a cold breeze swept through the village, making Kaira shiver and Mei hiss. _What the..? _Kaira quickly turned around and caught a glimpse of long red hair, turning around the corner. "Come on, Mei." Kaira snapped, giving chase to the mysterious red owner. _That feeling, it felt like the feeling of death in our village._ Kaira's heart quickened, wondering what that feeling was doing in their village. The red stopped at the top of a building, letting Kaira catch up. "Who are you?" Kaira asked, eyeing the fox mask they had on. It was clear this person was an anbu black op, but why is an anbu black op in their village?

"Oh dear, did I worry you?" Asa asked, removing her mask and showing her usual friendly face. Kaira's heart fell.

"A-Asa?" Kaira questioned, inspecting her; Asa nodded as Tundra jumped over from another building. Tundra was now in his little kitty form, but you could tell he was restraining his power.

_The feeling of death came from Asa? _Kaira repeated in her head. Asa walked over to Kaira, making Kaira flinch.

"I hope you're feeling better." Asa said, looking at Kaira's bandaged arm and leg. _Great, because of Yuuna, Raika ordered me not to interact with Kaira anymore. _Asa's death aura then returned, making Kaira scared. "I have a very special job to do, right now, so I better go." _This job will be the end of you._

"What is the anbu doing?" Kaira asked.

"It's none of your concern." Asa said, before vanishing.

"Mei, did you feel Asa's death aura?" Kaira asked, bending down to Mei's level.

"Meow."

"Today seems dangerous…" Kaira noted, looking around the village.

**.:One Hour Later:.**

"That was a nice walk." Kaira finally said, standing on the side of the road by the front gate and watching many and many people come in, just to watch the chuunin exams. "Wow, look Mei!" Kaira said, signaling for two tigers walking in.

"Meow!" Mei agreed.

There was one older man leading the tigers, and between the tigers was a boy, the same age as Kaira. The boy looked at Kaira, smiled, and waved. The boy had mahogany hair and pink eyes.

_Who is that? He seems familiar. _Kaira thought to herself. She looked at Mei who was still eyeing the boy. _Mei recognizes him too, plus he waved, so I must know him…_ Kaira stood up straight and went chasing after the boy, but as soon as she was about to take off, a hand grabbed her elbow.

"Kai, where are you going in such a rush?" Kiba asked. Kaira spun around and looked at him. How did he find her?

"Oh, Kiba, I, uh." Kaira looked back at where the boy was, but he was gone. She sighed before looking back at Kiba. "No where, sorry." She finally said.

"There sure are a lot of people coming in, isn't there?" Kiba asked. Kaira nodded silently.

_Weird things keep happening today… _Kaira thought as she examined Kiba in his relaxing clothes. "Hey, Kiba, you look cute in your clothes." Kaira said before thinking about her words. Kiba slightly blushed as he looked past her, then down at the ground.

"You look stunning." He mumbled. There was no slight blush about Kaira's, it was a full on blush.

"Please repeat that." Kimiko came out of no where and went right between Kaira and Kiba, who were both blushing now. Kimiko wasn't alone, however, Zai was standing behind Kiba with his jaw dropped. "I missed it." Kimi winked at Kaira. Kimi wore her usual black short shorts with a dark green shirt with one long sleeve and a short sleeve, of course her shirt has bows and ribbons here and there.

"I-I told her," Kiba started, grabbing Kaira's ponytail and tugging it down, "she looks funny with a ponytail." Kiba huffed roughly. Kaira hit Kiba's hand away and fixed her hair all over again.

"Why are you two together anyways?" Kimi changed subject.

"We barely met up just now." Kaira explained. "I was on my way to the stadium, ended up here, and Kiba showed up." Kiba nodded with every word Kaira said.

"That so?" Kimi raised an eyebrow. "Well, Zai and I came here to find our dad and bring him his lunch." Kimi looked at Zai who lifted up a bag.

"Good morning, Kaira." Zai finally spoke. Kaira nodded at him. "I heard about your injury, how are you feeling?" Kaira flexed her arm with her bandages.

"Better thanks to Kiba." Kaira smiled at said and he smiled back. Zai glared and coughed.

"Let's hurry, Zai, you have to meet up with Hikaru at the stadium." Kimiko shook her head, pushing her brother along. "See ya, Kai, Kiba." Then as quickly as they showed up, they vanished.

"Meow!"

"Arf!"

"Do you want to get to the stadium now?" Kiba asked. Kaira looked at him and nodded. They just looked at each other and smiled, for quite some time. What broke Kaira's gaze was when a bell rang. The bell was light, yet it drowned everything else out.

_Was that Mei?_ Kaira wondered, looking down at her cat. Nope. The bell rang again. _Where is it coming from?_ She looked up and right away she saw a girl on top of a platform, carried by four men. The girl has long, sparkling green hair, and the most captivating purple eyes. Almost like Kaira's, but the girl's eyes were mysterious but kind. She was dressed in a loose green kimono. Her hair was neatly put up with hair clips that resembled two little fans.

Kaira's eye's finally settled on her last hair ornament in her high hair, it was a bell. The loud ringing Kaira was hearing was coming from her.

The girl looked at Kaira in an elegant way and the two shared a long gaze. _Who is this girl? She's so beautiful. I feel like she's gentle, yet I'm getting a deadly aura from her…_ Kaira thought. Time seemed to have pause.

The girl's lips curled into a smile that looked evil at first, but relaxed into a gentle smile. _This is her. Kaira Nekoosa._ She thought.

"Hey, Kaira, she sure is beautiful, isn't she?" Kiba asked, spooking Kaira into reality. Kaira looked back at Kiba who smirked.

_I'm slightly offended he called a girl 'beautiful' in front of me, but…it's true._ Kaira nodded once. Kaira turned away from the girl as she grabbed Kiba's hand and pulled him along. "Let's get going."

"Arf!"

_Where's she going?_ The green haired girl wondered, seeing Kaira rush off with the boy she was with. _Is that her boyfriend or something?_ The girl stood and jumped off the platform and landed in a ninja way on the ground. Her guards gasped as they all sprinted for her. _Kaira!_ She yelled in her head as Kaira disappeared. The girl tried to follow, but her guards held her back.

"You must stay near us, Princess Mai."

"I lost her." Mai breathed, being led away by her guards.

_Hm?_ Kaira wondered, looking back at the crowded area. _I feel like something bad is going to happen…_ Kiba switched their hands so they were holding hands like a couple. Kaira blushed and looked at him.

"Y-You wanted to go, so c'mon." Kiba urged, looking down pitifully.

_He must see I'm acting strange, he's trying to cheer me up._ Kaira thought, finally smiling at him. _I should just enjoy my time with Kiba._ She squeezed his hand as they started walking. Needless to say, everyone was looking at them. 'Were the Inuzuka and Nekoosa going out?' is basically the question they all wondered. Of course, Kiba and Kaira were both clueless to the aura they were giving off.

They finally arrived to the stadium everyone was crowding into.

"Excuse me."

"Pardon me."

"Move out of the way."

Everyone was pushing others to get in and watch the Chuunin exam.

"What is this I see?" Kaira turned and saw Ino and Chouji walking towards her and Kiba. "Holding hands? Boy, you two sure aren't shy." Ino teased. Kaira cocked her head to the side. What was Ino talking about?

"This?" Kaira asked, holding up her entwined hand with Kiba's. Then it hit Kaira, couples do this. It's okay for kids cuz it's cute and innocent with them, but her and Kiba aren't little anymore. She dropped his hand and scooted away from him. "Come on, Kiba." Kaira blushed, brushing past Ino and Chouji.

"Ah, wait up!" Kiba growled, lightly hitting Ino when he past her. "Kaira!" He grabbed her and twirled her around. "Don't let Ino get to you." He tried. Kaira rolled her eyes and kept walking.

"You're meeting Hinata here, right?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah." He replied roughly.

"Well let's find her."

"Meow!"

"Arf!"

Kiba tried to follow Kaira, but she kept getting farther and farther away.

_She's disturbed by something. I just wish I knew what it was so I could comfort her…_ Kiba thought, running after her. She stopped when they entered the stadium seats. The place was nearly packed. "Hey, Kai, what happened this morning that makes you uneasy?" He asked when he caught up to her. Akamaru jumped on Kiba's head.

"Arf!"

Kaira looked down the many rows of seats, looking for someone she knew. _An Anbu black op. giving me a killer aura, a boy I feel I've seen before, and a Princess staring at me like she wanted to eat me. Oh, and I was holding hands with you. Awkward cuz I might like you._ "Oh nothing, Kiba, I'm just nervous for these matches." Kaira lied. "Hey look, it's Hinata!" She rushed down the stairs to Hinata as Kiba followed slowly, thinking to himself how Kaira is a handful.

"Meow!" Mei jumped on Hinata's lap, surprising her.

"Oh, hello, Mei, Kaira." Hinata greeted.

"You don't mind if I sit with you and Kiba, do you?" Kaira asked sweetly.

"No." Hinata replied in her usual shy voice. Kaira smiled as Kiba sat by Hinata and she took a seat at the end of the row, by Kiba.

"So, this is exciting." Kaira uttered, basically jumping up and down in her seat. _Finally, I can see Sasuke, but I hope he'll be safe._

_She changes mood fast._ Kiba thought before Hinata started talking to him. Kaira looked around the stadium, it was about full and she could see Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Kimiko, Zai, and Yamouri.

Soon it started. It first started by telling each contestant and who they will be facing. First, Naruto vs. Neji. Then Sasuke vs. Gaara, Shino vs. Kankuro, finally Shikamaru vs. Temari.

_Gaara? He's the one who brutally attacked Lee in the preliminaries. Sasuke has to fight him! No!_ Kaira worried. As soon as it was read, she started to shiver. _Sasuke can't die…_

"Relax, Kaira." Kiba put his hand over hers and squeezed, reassuring her. Kaira looked at him and he nodded.

"First is Naruto Uzumaki against Neji Hyuuga."

Naruto and Neji entered the huge arena as people started to cheer. Of course Hinata was nervous and it was her turn to be comforted by Kiba. As the match started, Naruto seemed to be easily beaten up on.

"Naruto…" Kaira uttered, watching intently. _You can do it…_ She was also nervous, but could hear others cheer him on. As the fight went on, Naruto kept losing, and it seemed there was no hope for him.

Hinata started coughing. Kaira leaned over and saw her.

"Hinata?" Kaira asked, giving her a look of sadness. Kaira then looked at Kiba, their faces were close but Kaira hadn't noticed. Kiba blushed lightly as he looked away.

"Oh, I…I'm fine." Hinata stuttered, coughing again.

_Hinata must be still feeling the effects of her fight with Neji…_ Kaira thought.

"Whoooa!" The whole crowd cheered and Hinata, Kiba, and Kaira looked back at the arena. The fight was getting more intense.

"Let's go Naruto!" Kaira cheered, standing up and waving her fist in the air. Mei jumped on Kiba's lap and rubbed against his hand. Akamaru barked. Her cheer was mixed with the cheer of the crowd. Naruto was now doing better and able to hold his own against Neji. "This is so intense." Kaira giggled. Hinata kept coughing. Kiba and Kaira both watched over the frail girl with worry. She kept coughing until she finally coughed up blood.

"Hinata!" Kaira exclaimed as the crowd kept cheering for Naruto. Kiba put his arm around Hinata as a masked figure came to them. Mei jumped back onto Kaira's lap as Kiba and Hinata went with the hooded figure. "I'll come with." Kaira said, standing to follow Kiba.

"No, you should stay." Kiba said. She flinched as he followed Hinata and the stranger up the stairs. "I'll be back, don't worry." He half-smiled. Kaira blushed and quickly sat right now.

"What's the story there? You two going out?" Some of the Jounin proctors sitting next to her asked. Kaira's blushed deepened as she looked away.

"We're just friends." Kaira replied stubbornly. The two proctors exchanged looks of disbelieving as they returned to watching the match.

Naruto disappeared. Next thing you knew he appeared from underneath Neji and knocked him out. The crowd went wild.

"Naruto!" Kaira laughed, leaning back in her seat. _What a way to win._ Kaira smiled as he was announced the winner. _He did it._ She closed her eyes and rested for a bit. Mei meowed, jumping on Kaira's head. "I know, Mei." Kaira turned around to see if she could see either Hinata or Kiba. Nope.

"Next up is, Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara."

Kaira flinched as she faced the arena, but no Sasuke. The crowd was silent as they waited for him. Everyone waited for a bit before moving onto the next match.

"Kankuro and Shino Aburame."

"I forfeit." Kankuro quickly said, making the crowd disappointed. Everyone wanted to see some action.

_Why would he come all this way just to forfeit…? This is strange._ Kaira thought, before shaking her head.

"Then we have, Shikamaru Nara and Temari!"

"Yeah! Go Shikamaru!" Everyone could hear Kimiko yell. Kaira smiled. Temari was already down in the arena as Shikamaru fell into it.

"This should be an interesting match." Kaira relaxed a bit. It started with Temari using her fan right away. Shikamaru tried to use his shadow jutsu, but it didn't work as Temari was too quick. He eventually went into the shadows to buy time. Temari kept using her fan over and over, but it didn't seem to faze Shikamaru much. He eventually tricked her into nearing a hole in the ground, where he used his jutsu and took control of her. "Ah, it looks like he'll win." Kaira smiled to herself.

"I give up." Shikamaru said, surprising everyone in the crowd.

"What!"

"I used up too much of my chakra and this is it for me." He said.

Sooo, apparently Temari had won this one.

"This is so sad, he had that one." Kaira pouted. The crowd was started getting worked up, but…the main match is up next. Sasuke and Gaara.

"We will wait five minutes for Sasuke to show up." The proctor announced to the crowd. Gaara was already in the arena, with his arms crossed and looking very menacing. Kaira put her hands together. _C'mon, Sasuke…_ She didn't want Sasuke to be hurt by Gaara, but she knows how much winning would mean to him.

"Hey, Kaira." Kimiko appeared out of no where right next to her.

"Meowwww." Mei yawned as she stretched. Kaira starred up at Kimi.

"You look so lonely sitting here by yourself." Kimi smiled kindly. Kaira looked down at Mei, with her purple bow wrapped around her cutely. _Kiba!_ Kaira turned around quickly. _No way it should take him this long with Hinata…_ Kaira worried. "Something wrong?"

"Kiba…" Kaira whispered. Kimiko looked up at the top of the staircase.

"Did he go somewhere?"

Kaira shook her head as she stood. "I think I better go look for him."

"Oh hey, Kaira, look." Kimi looked back at the arena. "Sasuke's five minutes are almost up." Kaira hesitated, but she looked. Only one minute remains for him to show up.

"He'll show up." Kaira muttered. "I know him." Then she looked back up the staircase. She's torn between staying for Sasuke, or going to look for Kiba. Kaira was worried about both, but to pick who? "Kimi, stay here, I'm going to look for-"

"Sorry I'm late." Sasuke's voice quickly captured Kaira's attention. The crowd went completely silent as Sasuke, with Kakashi, was seen in the middle of the arena.

"Sasuke…" Kaira murmured, taking a seat back down. Her eyes never left him. _He's changed._ Kimi smirked as she sat by Kaira with Mei on her lap.

"Finally, the final event." Kimi excitedly said.

"Well, shall we start?"

Kaira shivered once more before the fight began. Kimi glanced at Kaira.

"Relax, Kaira, he'll be fine." Kimiko smiled. "He has intense training!" Kaira tried to remain calm, but it wasn't working. The began and both Gaara and Sasuke just stood there. Finally, the fight officially began.

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**Review so I'll feel inspired to write more^^**


	17. Invasion

"Sasuke!" Kaira stood and cheered as Sasuke and Gaara started fighting. Kimi tried to smile. Well, at least she's doing better, right?

"Meow!" Mei meowed very loudly to show her support. The crowd went wild with anxiety as Gaara and Sasuke fought a furious battle. To everyone, it appeared Sasuke was winning, but this made Kaira even more suspicious.

_Gaara is extremely powerful; he showed absolutely no mercy against Rock Lee, so how is Sasuke pulling this off? I mean… He did train with the infamous Kakashi, Shizuka's brother, but was it actually enough to give Sasuke a dominating advantage? _Kaira bit her lip. All of a sudden, she heard a screeching noise. She spun around and looked at the top of the stairs. The man in the hood and mask was standing there. Now that she noticed… There were a few scattered around the stadium. They all wore masks similar to the one Asa was wearing this morning.

Wait. Asa? Mask? She mentioned something about the anbu black ops… Those masked figures were all anbu black ops! Then, Hinata and Kiba went with one.

"Kimi, I better get going!" Kaira rushed out of her seat and ran up the stairs. Mei jumped down and followed her companion. _I know I should stay for Sasuke, but Kiba and Hinata could be in trouble. _Every time she stepped down on her right leg, a little jolt was sent up her body from the pain.

"Kaira, but Sasuke…" Kimiko whispered under her breath as her friend disappeared. She sighed and turned back to the arena.

Kaira reached the top of the stairs and starred at the anbu.

"Meow!" Mei nudged her owner past him and into the dark hallways. As Kaira kept running, she heard cheering of all sorts coming from the audience. She couldn't help but wonder how Sasuke was doing, and judging by the audience, he was still hanging in there. She took a second to pause and pull out her cat instincts to concentrate.

_Kiba… Akamaru… Hinata…_ Kaira repeated their names with her eyes closed. She sniffed around; cats don't have as good of a smell as a dog, but cats can easily pick up the scent of a dog. _I can smell his scent throughout this hallway. He must have been brought through here._ Kaira found stairs that led downstairs and she went down. The more she went down, the darker is became. Good thing cats have nocturnal vision as well.

The stairs seem to go on and on for a long time. No way they were still above ground. They're probably under the arena or something. "I had a feeling you'd come down here." Kaira spun around and came face to face with another anbu. Except this anbu had a different mask from the one that took Kiba and Hinata, not to mention this one wasn't wearing a cloak. The lights were off, but Kaira could tell it was a familiar voice of a girl.

"Anbu.." Kaira hissed.

"Calm down, your little boy toy isn't down here." The anbu replied, lifting up a piece of Kiba's jacket. "You were just picking up this stupid scent." She yawned and tossed it towards Kaira, who caught it but then quickly dropped it.

"Then where are they?"

"I have no clue, I just had my friend give that to me to lure you here." Anbu said. Kaira bit her lip. "Be glad I saved you, girlie." The anbu reached for her mask and slightly removed it.

There was a loud bang as the ground shook. There were a few screams before everything went silent.

_What was that!_ Kaira yelled in her head. She looked down at Mei, who dashed past the anbu and back up the stairs. "Mei!"

"Your kitty is smart." Anbu said. "Anyways, I'm tired of playing this game." Then she disappeared. Kaira shook her head and started running back up the stairs with Mei.

_I have a bad feeling about this… Something must have went wrong. Sasuke!_ In that instant, Kaira forgot about Kiba and focused on Sasuke's condition.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she saw about three bodies laying around. They weren't there when she went down. She ran past them and retraced all her steps back into the audience. When she exited the hallway, she saw everyone in the audience, slumped over with their eyes closed.

"Ffft!" Mei hissed. Kaira turned and saw many Jounin leaf ninja fighting with ninja from the sand village.

_Is this… an invasion?_ Kaira wondered, falling to her knees and peeking over to the arena. No one was in the arena, but she saw Sasuke jump over the wall and into the forest behind them. _Sasuke! _Then she took a deep breath. _He's fine._

"Another low level leaf ninja?"

Kaira froze from hearing the voice behind her. Next thing she heard was a thump against the wall behind her. She spun around and saw Shizuka-sensei standing over her.

"What're you doing, Kaira?" Shizuka questioned. Her piercing blue eyes gazed into Kaira's thoughts and memory. "Hmmm, I see, so you were looking for Kiba and events happened, you were underground so you didn't feel the effects of the genjutsu." Kaira cocked her head to the side, wondering what was going on. Shizuka bent down next to Kaira. "The sand village is planning an invasion on us, as you can clearly see," Shizuka took out a shurikan and tossed it to her side, hitting a sand ninja. "From what I gathered from their minds, they don't know what the true mission is, they are just ordered to attack us. However… Gaara has fled and Sasuke has given chase to him. Which is dangerous since Gaara is a jinchūriki and his tailed beast is taking him over." Shizuka jumped back and quickly attacked a coming sand ninja. "Earth style: Land control." She reached back and touched the wall. It flung out right by the sand ninja and sent him flying. "Kaira, go to Kimiko and Zai, release them from the genjutsu and help us fight off these ninja; I know you all have what it takes." Then Shizuka-sensei vanished.

_Kimiko and Zai…_ Kaira got up and ran down the stairs. She found a knocked-out Kimiko and sat next to her. "Kimi!" Kaira shook her, but no luck. _How do you do this?_

"Meeeow." Mei jumped on Kimi as her paws started glowing with chakra. Mei's unique ability to awaken people sure comes in handy.

"Huh?" Kimiko said, finally coming to. Mei jumped off and sat on the floor next to them. "Kaira?" Kimiko rubbed her head and slowly sat up. "Where-?"

"The sand village is hosting an invasion on us; Shizuka-sensei ordered me to wake you and Zai to help fight off the sand ninja." Kaira quickly explained. Kimiko stood up and saw all the ninja fighting and clashing. Lucky for them, all the sand ninja were distracted.

"Get Zai? Pssh, like he could help!" Kimiko shrugged. Kaira rolled her eyes and grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her along.

"I think Zai was over here sitting with some brunette guy and that Yamouri girl." Kaira muttered to herself, going into another section and another row. She scanned the people for him, but no luck. Kimiko pulled away from Kaira and finally started to help look. "Where is he?" Kimiko went into another section and smirked when she saw him and Hikaru fainted together. "Kimiko, do you have any luck finding him?"

"Meow?"

"Not yet." Kimiko lied, rushing over to them and fixing them. Kaira kept looking and finally moved closer to Kimi. "Look, found him!" Kimiko said after awhile. Kaira turned towards Kimi and saw her pointing at her brother and Hikaru cuddling.

"Kimi!" Kaira gasped, holding back laughter.

"They match, don't they?" Kimi replied evilly.

"Mei, wake him up." Kaira looked away. Kimi pouted and looked away.

"Wait, Kaira, look out!" Kimiko shouted. A sand ninja appeared right before them. Kimiko gasped as the ninja had a kunai and flung it at Kaira. Mei jumped up and caught the kunai in her mouth and landed beside Kaira.

"Thanks, Mei." Kaira huffed. "Cat instincts." Her eyes turned into slits as her cat ears and tail came out, once again.

"Well, I guess it's time." Kimiko faced another sand ninja. Well, looks like they were finally seen. "Fire Style, fire dragon jutsu." Kimi's originally a water affinity, but there's no water around, so she relies on her second-rate fire techniques.

"Meow!" Mei hissed, jumping on top of a sand ninja and digging her claws in them. Kaira made a quick move and jumped onto another sand ninja. The sand ninja seemed to just be low level ninja, they hardly fought back. Kimi fought using her fire jutsu and taijutsu, Kaira tried her hardest without hurting the bystanders.

"Mei!" Kaira called. Mei jumped back to her owner. "Let's go." Mei transformed into Kaira. "Claw-over-Claw." They both started spinning and attacked various sand ninja.

"New jutsu I see; nice." Kimi uttered. "Well, then, I'll show you mine as well, water jutsu: clear body." All the attacks the sand ninja tried, had no effect on Kimi anymore. It's a useful jutsu, but it drains your chakra like crazy. "And now that my body is water, I can use my water jutsus." Kimiko jumped away from all the ninja and Kaira soon joined her. Kaira and Mei returned to normal as Kaira and Kimi smiled at each other.

"Ready, Kimi?"

"It feels so good to fight again." Kimi replied. "Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!" Kimi roared, the water from her clear body formed into a giant dragon floating above Kaira and Mei. All the sand ninja were about together when the dragon dove for them and swallowed them whole.

"Now, Wind Release: Circling Storm." Kaira huffed, creating a huge ball of whirling air above her. With every passing second, it grew larger and larger. "Go." Kaira flung it towards the sand ninja inside the dragon and as soon as the water dragon and the ball of wind met, a flash appeared, blinding everyone. When the flash died down, Kaira clapped her hands together. The dragon was turned into ice with all the sand ninja inside it frozen.

"Hmm, not bad, you two." Shizuka appeared behind Kaira. After a few long seconds the ice broke and all the ninja fell to the ground. Kimi gathered all her water and returned back to normal.

"That jutsu sent a shiver down my spine." Kimi said, cracking her back. "I loved it." Kimi smiled and gave Shizuka the peace sign. "Now, who's next?"

"It appears subdued since Kakashi and Gai are getting into a competition." Shizuka sighed, shaking her head. "I could totally beat Kakashi." She rolled her eyes and her demonic aura started leaking out.

"C…Calm down, sensei." Kaira tried. "Hmmm?"

"Silly, Nekoosa." A taunting voice appeared. Kaira turned around and saw the same anbu from underground. In the light, she could most definitely tell it was a body of a girl. She only wore a fox mask and her long blonde hair was up in a pony tail to keep it out of her face. "I believe you need to stay out of this."

Another figure came. It was another girl she wore a cloak but no mask. She was short, and has the longest black hair that was tied into two pigtails. Her eyes were bright blue and she had the face of a little girl. "Well, we meet, Nekoosa." The girl spoke in a rough voice. She sounded very young, but tough. "Greetings, my name is Rimi Kedouin." Kaira just starred.

Kaira fell to the ground with her eyes closed. Shizuka and Kimiko bent down next to her.

"Kaira!" Kimiko tried.

"It's no use." Shizuka felt Kaira's forehead. "She's trapped in someone's genjutsu…" Shizuka bit her lip as they both starred at Kaira.

Back in Kaira's memory, Shizuka and Kimi disappeared, but Kaira hadn't noticed yet.

"I come from the village hidden among the rocks." Rimi stated. "I actually came here on a mission, but that would be no fun, now would it?" Rimi smirked and removed her cloak. It revealed a thick sword on her back. "Hey, Kaira, how about we have a little test battle?" Rimi spat, reached back and touching her sword.

"Rimi, I don't think that's a very good idea." The anbu piped up, reaching for the younger girl. Rimi turned and gave the anbu an icy glare, making them back off.

"It's my mission." Rimi snarled. "Let's go, Kaira." She quickly took out her sword and swung it at Kaira.

"What the!" Kaira hissed, jumping back. "Mei, let's-" It finally hit Kaira that Kimiko, Shizuka, and Mei weren't around. _This… This must be a genjutsu!_

"Good girl, little Nekoosa." Rimi mocked, flinging her sword to the side. The sword was at least twice her size! Rimi's rock headband hung around her neck and moved with every motion she made. "Since you noticed quickly, I guess I can't have you for as long as I would have liked. Anywho, I was sent here to warn you; so be warned!" Rimi growled.

"Warn?" Kaira repeated. _Not another weird girl._

"Don't you know the prophecy about your being?" Rimi asked seriously. Kaira cocked her head to the side. "Pffft, she doesn't know anything!" Rimi started laughed a deep, yet girlish laugh that made Kaira feel like she didn't know herself. "Tell me, Nekoosa, do you even know who your dad is?"

_I…I never thought about it…_ Kaira thought.

"Rimi!" Anbu yelled, pulling the girl back towards her. Kaira fell to her knees.

_Mom never talked about father… It never once crossed my mind to wonder who he was._ Kaira pondered. _I only recall mom and little sister in our family._

"I bet Raika would be insulted to hear that…" Rimi muttered under her breath.

"Rimi!" Anbu hit Rimi on the back of the head and she shot her another glare.

"Rai…ka?" Kaira repeated the word slowly. "Raika…" She searched her memory for the name, but nothing came up.

"Rimi, someone is trying to get through to her." Anbu whispered. Rimi bit her tongue before pointing towards Kaira.

"Prepare yourself, venerable Nekoosa." Rimi growled before they disappeared.

Kaira opened her closed eyes back to reality and saw the boy with maroon hair and pink eyes leaning over her. She took a whiff and for a second, she recognized him as a fellow Nekoosa. "I got her." The boy said. His voice rang in her head. The world around her started spinning as she drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * *

**REVIEW, Neh? ^^**


	18. The Feeling of Hatred

**.:Couple Days Later:.**

Kaira groggily sat up from her comfy bed at her cozy home. _Today is the day…_ Kaira reached up and covered her face. _The hokage's funeral…_

It has been a couple of days since the invasion. The leaf village has successfully fought off the sand, but at the tragic loss of their Hokage. Of course, it wasn't the sand's doing, it was all because of Orochimaru, but hardly anyone knew of this.

Kaira had fainted in the gust of things. Soon after, Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara were found and taken in. Apparently Sasuke had lost to Gaara, but Naruto stepped in a defeated him.

However, nothing is yet known about the weird girls who keep bothering Kaira, and the boy who saved Kaira took off after he broke their genjutsu. Kaira tried to ask Shizuka and Kimiko about who he was, but even they had no clue.

These past few days, Kaira had been visiting Sasuke everyday in the hospital and worrying for her childhood friend, but today… well, was a very sad day for Konoha.

"Let's go, Mei." Kaira whispered, sliding out of bed and shrugging on a black robe and leaving everything else on her dresser table. Mei meowed silently as they walked out of the house. It was an overcast day, what a way to set the mood. Just like that, they were at the cemetery. She quickly found Sasuke and stood next to him. "Sasuke…" Kaira spoke, looking down at the ground. He looked disappointed. As the funeral started, crying could be heard throughout the crowd.

"Kaira." Sasuke muttered, grabbing and holding her hand. Kaira blushed but remained sad. She spotted Kiba standing in the crowd. She wanted to go see him, but Sasuke held her firmly into place. But, I guess Kaira can't leave his side since he's injured…

**.:Few Days Later:.**

The village was finally trying to get back onto it's feet, but it's taking some time; a few buildings were wrecked in the invasion, but many ninja are working diligently to fix it.

At the Nekoosa household, Kaira and Mei were wide awake, in fact, they were making breakfast.

"So what would you like to eat this morning, Sasuke?" Kaira questioned, cocking her head to the side as she gazed upon her friend. Of course, Sasuke was there too.

"Anything would be fine, Kaira." He replied without much emotion. Kaira looked away for a bit.

"Meow!" Mei jumped onto the table as Sasuke started petting her. Kaira spun around and looked for a pot to boil some soup in. Sasuke starred into Mei's golden eyes.

"Hey, Kaira, let's forget the breakfast, let's go out today." Sasuke finally spoke. Kaira blushed and dropped the pan she finally found. "To eat." Kaira sighed with relief when he uttered his last words.

"If that's what you want." Kaira replied casually. _I just have to do whatever he wants._ Sasuke stood up and carried Mei. "Ah." Kaira followed him out the door and walked right beside him one their walk into town.

"Kaira, I know you're worried about me, but it would help if you stopped trying to hard." Sasuke finally said. Kaira glanced at him and held her hands together. "I like hanging about you because you care, but you also let me relax so I can catch my breath."

"Sasuke…" Kaira whispered.

"You seem like you changed lately or something." Sasuke went on.

"Sasuke…" Kaira repeated.

"It's because you were hanging around with that dog while I was gone, right?"

"Sasuke!" Kaira finally yelled. "It is not because of Kiba." She hissed. Sasuke stopped walking and faced her.

"I'm your top priority, Kaira, I've always been here for you since we were in diapers."

"I was first there for you!" Kaira fought back.

"We've been through a lot, yet I've never left your side; I've always been there, Kaira!" Sasuke raised his voice. Is he trying to compete with Kiba? Kaira immediately looked down and bit her cheek

"You haven't always been there for me…" Kaira murmured under her breath.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

_When your brother murdered your clan… You stayed secluded from the world and would never come near me for the longest time… I could tell by the way you looked at me, you hated me! And… that's when I met Kiba, it was while you were ignoring me…_ Kaira thought, remembering how it went down.

[[_ Kaira and her classmates were at the tender age of 7 and it was another bright day outside, which is why they were outside playing on the playground with adult supervision, of course._

_The Uchiha Massacre had just occurred a couple weeks ago, and Sasuke was now forced to come to school. He was sitting alone in the corner, watching all the other kids play like nothing was wrong with the world._

_Kaira came out to the playground and was all smiles._

"_Hey, hey, let's play, Kaira!" A random girl from their class tried. Kaira spotted Sasuke and her face lit up even more._

"_Maybe later." Kaira shooed off and ran over to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke, let's go play." She giggled. There was a baby Mei following Kaira around. Even at the young age, the two matched perfectly together. Sasuke slowly brought his gaze up to Kaira. His pitch black eyes that used to be filled with joy around her, was now piercing though her very soul. Kaira shivered but shook it off. "Let's play fire ninja, like we used to." She reached down for his hand but he turned away. "You hate me…" Kaira said under her breath. Her eyes started to fill with tears as she ran off. It didn't even faze him._

_She ran to under the slide and covered her face as the tears flowed out of her eyes. She sniffed and hicked, but no one seemed to hear over the giggling of surrounding kids._

"_Kaira?" Hinata's young petite voice was heard as she crawled under the slide with Kaira._

"_Something wrong?" Kimiko asked. Kaira had no clue it was Kimiko, however. "Shika, look." Then little Shikamaru and Chouji budded their heads in._

"_Why're you crying down here?" Shikamaru questioned._

"_Come on out and play with us." Chouji offered. Kaira wiped up her tears and nodded, crawling out and standing with her peers. Hinata, Kimiko, Shikamaru, and Chouji smiled at her._

"_Ew, what's that smell!"_

_Kaira turned around and saw young Kiba walking towards her._

"_Oh, it's the disgusting smell of cat." Kiba growled. Mei bared her fangs as Kaira was stunned to hear someone say that. "You must be a Nekoosa." Kiba said it like it was worst thing in the world, well, to him it was._

"_Excuse me?" Kaira replied. "I hate the smell of dog and you're covered in it!" Kaira fired back._

"_Kiba, Kaira, let's not get into a fight." Hinata tried._

"_Cats are the most grossest thing ever!"_

"_Dogs are the worst."_

"_Kiba Inuzuka, Kaira Nekoosa! Fighting will not be tolerated." An adult came and budded into their first fight. Kaira and Kiba shared a glare._

'_His name is Kiba and he's an Inuzuka; the rival clan of the Nekoosa.' Kaira thought as she walked away from him._

_From that day on, their rivalry escalated day after day… _]]

Kaira launched forward and hugged Sasuke. _I have to assure him; he's my responsibility now…_ "You're right, I'm sorry, Sasuke." Kaira replied. Sasuke was shocked at first, but finally hugged back. "We're all we have now." She spoke the truth. They both have no families… They only have each other. "Come on, let's go eat." She finally pulled away and tugged on his hand as he followed her a few steps away. Something still annoyed Sasuke but he didn't want to say anything to Kaira, after all…

"Kaira, I have to tell you something." He spoke. Kaira froze and turned to face him. "I've been thinking long and hard about this and I think I'm ready to tell you something that's always been on my mind." Sasuke then leaned towards Kaira, making her back up. He kept stepping towards her until she was near a building.

"Sasuke, you're worrying me…" Kaira whispered, scared to make him angry.

"You need to know how I feel, Kaira." Sasuke snapped. She froze and locked eyes with him. He put his hand on the building behind her and sealed her escape.

_What's gotten into him? Talking about this stuff and pushing me against a wall._ Kaira thought. Mei squeezed through from under their entangled feet and ran down the road after catching a whiff of dog.

Both starred at each other for a long time.

"Does this make you happy, Sasuke?" Kaira finally asked. Sasuke smirked and leaned down towards her more. _He's still acting weird, but I should go along with it._ Kaira leaned her head against his chest. Sasuke was taken back by what she did, but he actually enjoyed it. He put his other arm around her and hugged her tightly. This softened his mood ever slightly.

"Kaira, the truth is, I-"

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, running after his dog. Sasuke tensed up as Kaira pulled away. Mei and Akamaru were having a race towards Kaira and Sasuke, with Kiba trailing behind. It took awhile to register Sasuke and Kaira pressed up against a building, but when Kiba realized it, jealousy took over. "What's this?"

"Oh, Kiba." Kaira blushed, looking down. Sasuke glared at him and hugged Kaira tighter. Kiba returned the glare. _This reminds me of when Sasuke finally started talking to me again… _Kaira sighed.

[[ _The class was still 7, but most were already starting to turn 8; it's been about six months since the Uchiha Massacre, however Sasuke was still withdrawn and alone._

"_Moooorning." Kaira smiled as she walked over to her new group of friends. Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kimiko, Kiba, and Naruto. They didn't always hang out together, but all of them were actually her friends now._

"_Morning, Kaira." Hinata said gently as ever._

"_Everyone is here, let's play now!" Kimiko giggled and twirled around. Shikamaru wore his famous 'what a drag' face, as Chouji ate his early snack of the day._

"_Well, kitty, you ruined the mood." Kiba yawned, walking past her. Akamaru barked as Kiba snickered. Everyone else knew this meant the war was on… as it was everyday._

"_Gross, it's a mutt!" Kaira shrieked, picking up rocks from the ground and throwing it at him. He covered himself as he was hit multiple times._

_Sasuke sat alone in his corner, watching the scene. He hasn't talked to Kaira in six months, and the fact she went on without him angered him. Especially since she started hanging around Kiba, or, well, fighting with Kiba._

"_You two never learn!" An adult said, coming between their fight. "Both of you, go to the opposite sides of the playground for a timeout." Kiba and Kaira shared a glare before walking away from each other._

"_As always, this is how it happens." Shikamaru sighed as Kimiko and Hinata watched Kaira near Sasuke. She was sent to his corner._

"_She's going near him; she might get hurt or something…" Kimiko worried._

"_They used to be friends though…" Hinata mumbled as both girls looked at each other._

"_Well…" Kaira looked down when she reached the corner. Sasuke scooted away, but remained by her. 'We fought, we're no longer friends, but…' Kaira looked at Sasuke, but quickly glanced away._

_About 15 minutes past, finally the adult told Kaira she was out of time out._

"_Yay!" Kaira cheered as she stood up She took a step to go towards her friends, but Sasuke reached up and grabbed her hand. "Huh?" She looked down at him and her heart quickened._

"_Kaira, let's play fire ninja." Sasuke said. Kaira blushed and smiled._

"_Okay." Sasuke stood up as they both went back to play. Her friends watched her in silence._

"_I'm back!" Kiba roared. Kimiko, Hinata, and Shikamaru glanced at him before looking back to one another. "Hey, where's Kaira?" He asked, looking around. He spotted Kaira with Sasuke. "Oh."_

_Kaira smiled at Sasuke, which he partly returned. Then Sasuke caught Kiba starring. Sasuke glared as he pulled Kaira in for a hug._

"_Wha-?" Kaira tried, blushing._

"_I missed you, Kaira." Sasuke said, earning him a return glare from Kiba. _]]

"Well, Kaira, I was coming over to your house." Kiba said, moving his eyes from Sasuke over to Kaira.

"Ah, were you?" Kaira brightened as she brushed Sasuke off of her. Sasuke sighed as he pulled away from her and she could fully breathe again. "I was taking Sasuke out to eat." Kaira replied, rather sadly.

"Ah, I see." Kiba locked eyes with Sasuke once again. More tension was in the air and Kaira was finally picking up on it.

"You sure seem to come over to her house a lot now." Sasuke fired.

"We're friends now." Kiba replied.

"Strange that an Inuzuka and a Nekoosa get along; I'm sure your parents wouldn't approve." Sasuke growled.

"You have to be mature to understand our relationship." Kiba snarled.

"You'd have to be stupid not to understand ours."

"Um!" Kaira gulped. Sasuke looked at Kaira.

"It's fine, Kaira, I better get back home anyways." Sasuke shrugged like it was nothing. He took a step away from her and she was stuck with sadness.

"But why?" She tried.

"Something came up."

"You said you were free all morning…" Kaira said back weakly.

"Things change!" Sasuke shot back. She recoiled as he kept walking away. He's hardly ever this cruel to her; to everyone else, yeah, but never to her.

"Wow, uh, I'm sorry, Kai." Kiba said after making sure Sasuke was gone. Kaira kneeled down to the ground and started to pet Mei. She was silent.

"Meoww?"

Kiba walked over to Kaira and kneeled down in front of her. "Kai." She finally looked up and they gazed at each other. "Let's get you home." She nodded once but said nothing.

**.:Few Hours Later:.**

After Kiba took her to her house, he cooked her some breakfast, then she fell asleep on her couch. That's when he took his leave upon her. She finally awoke, but wasn't fully awake yet.

"Mei, do you think…" Kaira yawned as her eyes were halfway open. She laid back down and Mei jumped on top of her. "Is it possible for Sasuke to hate me once again?" Kaira felt tears in her eyes, but then they vanished.

"Meow."

"I hardly did anything; he's the one who's changing, not me, right?"

"Meow…"

"I know, but… I didn't think it would change our relationship."

"Meow?"

"Growing up, I always pictured marrying Sasuke and be happy with him forever. Silly, isn't it?"

"Meow, meow!"

"I don't know if I still want that though; I feel responsible for his happiness. With his entire family gone, his brother's betrayal, I'm the only one really still here for him." Mei got up and licked Kaira's face, making her smile. "You're right, Mei." Kaira hugged her and sat up. "Let's go over to his house right now." She quickly stood up and put Mei on the floor. She rushed out the door, with Mei trailing behind.

Kaira was in a hurry, so she hadn't noticed the aura or chakra power surrounding her on her run to Sasuke's house. She took a shortcut, which was hardly ever trailed and almost always deserted; it only takes a little bit to get to his house from this road though.

"Oh, Mei. I'm getting so nervous." Kaira smiled, slowing down to a walk.

"Meow?"

"What shall I say first?" Kaira wondered out loud. Mei looked up at her companion before quickly looking forward.

"Ffft!" Mei hissed.

"Mei?" Kaira looked forward and saw two figures standing side by side. They were both covered with a black cloak with red clouds here and there. _This is bad…_ Kaira thought. "Who're you?" They both wore straw hats over their heads.

"Ah, Kaira." One of them spoke. His voice sent a shiver down her back.

_He sounds so familiar…_ Kaira thought, trying to put his voice to a face.

"You're grown up so much."

"Who are you?" Kaira repeated. The one who kept talking stepped forward and removed his hat. Kaira gasped when she saw who it was. "You! But, you're..!" Kaira stammered. She couldn't resist from walking closer to him. "Why're you…? How come…?" She blinked away her surprise. "Itachi."

"I came back after hearing about the 4th death." Itachi said.

"What for?" Kaira asked, eyeing him. She saw the scratched out lead symbol on his headband, showing he was a rouge ninja. "You killed your clan, why would you care about the 4th?" She hissed.

"Where's Sasuke?" Itachi asked. Kaira glared at him.

"Like hell I'd tell you." She sneered. "I won't let you near him!"

"Kaira, are you taking good care of my little brother?" Itachi asked genuinely. She was taken back by the true worry in his voice.

"You… do you really care?" Kaira finally asked. He nodded once and she looked down to the ground. "You're supposed to be this killer rogue ninja that everyone is after, why aren't you threatening me or anything?" The other Akatsuki member started getting impatient.

"There's more to it then you're told, Kaira." Itachi said.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. _He is trying to say he's good or something? But he killed his clan!_

"Take good care of Sasuke." Itachi changed the subject. "Don't tell him I was here, however."

"How can I not tell him? Didn't you come here to see him? To hurt him?" Kaira questioned as Itachi turned his back to her.

"If you don't promise to not tell him, I'll make you forget." He threatened.

"Ohoh, that's more like how you're supposed to be!" Kaira smiled. Itachi wondered why she was smiling.

"You say all that, but should you want to fight me, or even be scared?"

"Itachi, I've known you when you were the great big brother type, for some reason, I don't fear you." Kaira replied. Itachi starred at her, then closed his eyes.

"Sasuke is lucky to have you." Itachi then opened his eyes, showing his sharingan. "I'm sorry, Kaira." She gasped when she looked into his eyes.

"Itachi…" Kaira murmured, falling to her knees.

"Meow!" Mei tried to hold up Kaira, but she fell to the ground next, blacking out with her memory erased.

**.:Couple Hours Later:.**

Kaira finally came to in a strange house that was completely bare, except for a bed and a desk on the other side of the room.

"Wha…?" Kaira muttered, slowly sitting up and hearing the bed creak under her. She looked around, but Mei was no where to be seen. _Dammit, why do I keep losing consciousness…?_ Kaira bit her lip as she punched the bed beneath her. _I'm weak, I need to keep training._ She slid off the bed, but was unable to stand. She fell to the ground and a pain erupted in her head.

She tried to remember what happened before she passed out, but it was blocked out and trying to remember only hurt her more.

_What is this barrier?_ Kaira sniffed, feeling tears fall onto the floor beneath her. All the tears she held in from today are flowing out so naturally.

"…." Shizuka spoke nothing as she racked through Kaira's memories from outside the room.

She knocked silently on the door. Kaira sniffed and rubbed her eyes really quick. "Shizuka-sensei." Kaira acknowledged. _This must be her house._

"Yes, this is my house." Shizuka said, softly. "How're you doing, Kaira?" Shizuka questioned. Kaira rubbed her eyes more before realizing her legs were weak and unable to lift her. What happened to her?

_Her memory is blocked… Who could have possibly done that?_ Shizuka looked away and ran her hand through her silver hair. _I know the type of people who could have…_ Shizuka looked at her desk. On top was a picture of her as a child with Kakashi and his old squad. _An Uchiha with an advanced Sharingan._ Then Shizuka's eyes glossed over when she starred at the photo. _Uchiha._

"Shi…zuka?" Kaira asked. Her sensei returned to reality and looked back at her student. "Strange things have been happened to me lately."

"I am aware." Shizuka whispered.

"Is there something that I don't know about?" Kaira finally spoke what was bothering her. "These mysterious girls keep showing up and I was warned to be prepared or something like that."

"Warned?" Shizuka repeated. _Why would Kaira be warned for something?_

"Now Sasuke is treating me weird, like he doesn't want to be around me…"

_He's most likely jealous of Kiba._ Shizuka nodded.

"But the thing that bothers me the most is what one of the girls said to me…"

"Kaira, you shouldn't be offended by their low blows or rumors-"

"It's not that; they asked if I even knew my father."

Shizuka didn't know what to say. She knew Kaira didn't have a family. She knew Kaira's mom and little sister were killed whereas Kaira somehow lived. Other than that, she didn't know much anything else about Kaira's past.

"Shizuka!" Kotetsu yelled, busting open her door downstairs and running over to her room. Shizuka rolled her eyes as he appeared in her doorway. He was breathing hard. Weird how he knows where she lives instantly. Stalker…

"Yes, Kotetsu?" Shizuka cocked her head to the side. He took another breath and she learned what he had to say from his thoughts. Her eyes widened.

"Shizuka, Itachi Uchiha has-!"

"Brother…" Shizuka stammered. _He's injured. His sharingan. I have to go see him!_

"Itachi Uchiha is here?" Kaira asked, slowly looking up at Kotetsu. If only Kaira knew the truth…He recoiled. "If he is… Sasuke must have heard about it…" Shizuka ran out of the room and out of her house, worried about her brother. "Where's Sasuke?" Kaira asked. Kotetsu recoiled but closed his eyes.

"He actually did run into Itachi. Sasuke is in the hospital right now."

Kaira's eyes flashed worry, before settling in to sadness. She finally stood, but staggered left and right before walking past Kotetsu.

"Do you need help?" He tried to catch her when she leaned against the wall.

"I'm fine." Kaira said through her teeth. She moved on and Kotetsu made sure she was walking fine. _I…I should go see Sasuke._ She silently walked out of Shizuka's two-story house, which was conveniently in the middle of town. It wasn't that long of a walk to the hospital, what took most of her time was actually finding what room Sasuke was in. There were no nurses around, they must be all busy or something. Kaira climbed up a few flight of stairs before she heard noises coming from a certain two rooms.

"Kakashi, you idiot! How could you possibly think you could-? You!" Shizuka's voice was heard yelling in the farthest room.

Shizuka obviously cared about her brother, but won't show it until he was in the hospital. Kaira walked to the room beside the yelling and pushed her ear against it.

"Sasuke, how are you feeling?"

Kaira opened the door and saw Sasuke sitting up on the hospital bed with Sakura sitting down by his bed. When both heard door open, they turned to look at her.

"Meow?"

Mei sat up from Sasuke's lap.

"Mei…" Kaira sniffed, closing the door behind her. "Sasuke…" Kaira cried, walking over to him and hugging him "Sasuke, I can't believe you." Kaira hugged him tighter. He put his arms around her and loosely hugged her.

Sakura watched in silence as their hug continued.

"How are you?" Kaira whispered, finally pulling away. He was silent as he looked towards the window in his room. "Sasuke?" Kaira stared, but then glanced at Sakura who shrugged. _He just saw his brother… His goal was to always kill him so seeing him and failing his goal is probably taking it's toll on him right now._

"Meow." Mei rubbed against Sasuke's hand and he pet her slowly. His eyes seemed distant.

"I'm glad you're here, Kaira." Sasuke mumbled, not moving from his gaze. Kaira blushed and Sakura looked away. "Stay with me." Kaira nodded and took a seat by the edge of his bed.

"I'll always be here for you, Sasuke." Kaira agreed, watching him do nothing but sit and regret his past. _Sasuke.._ Kaira worried.

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**REVIEW, pweeease!**


	19. Targetted

**OMG, I'm soooooooooo sorry for this delayed update! I hope you all are still patient with me.  
Curse school and life for making me so distracted!  
Well, thank you for waiting and ENJOY! :D**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to FlyPandaBear and Yamouri Kesaki for being such awesome readers :)  
I wouldnt wanna write if it werent for them :D**

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**.:Week Later:.**

Sasuke and Kakashi both have fallen into a coma soon after they were sent to the hospital. Naruto and his new sensei, Jaraiya, went to look for a new hokage, but none of the genin know of who they went to fetch. They've been gone for a while, however, and Kakashi and Sasuke are showing no signs of recovery from their coma that took a delayed effect on them from Itachi.

Both Kaira and Shizuka have been at the hospital everyday, all the time, but today they were kicked out by the hospital staff. So Shizuka stayed at home and starred at her pictures of her brother and his team as Kaira decided to spend the day training.

"Okay, let's do it one more time, Mei." Kaira growled as her cat ears and tail flashed on and off as she panted. Mei meowed, falling back from attacking her owner. Mei transformed back to her normal self. _I haven't been training lately because of Sasuke._ Kaira bit her tongue. _Sasuke…_ Just thinking of his condition brought Kaira to the brink of tears.

"Meow!" Mei purred as she transformed back into Kaira. Kaira shook her head as they both dashed for one another. Mei hissed lightly as Kaira took out a kunai and tossed it at Mei. She caught it and clashed kunais with Kaira. All day they had been training taijutsu.

Kaira managed to disarm Mei and tossed her kunai to the ground behind Mei as she aimed for a jab right in her stomach. Mei blocked with her forearm, but not without hurting her arm.

"Neh!" Mei mumbled, jumping away from Kaira.

"I don't think so, Mei." Kaira smirked. As soon as Mei landed, the kunai Kaira had thrown exploded and the ground under Mei collapsed. "Meow!" Mei fell into the hole in the ground and transformed back into her normal cat self.

"Yesss!" Kaira chuckled. Kaira walked over to the edge of the hole and she gazed down at Mei, but all that was down there was a log. "What?" "Nya~" Mei, as Kaira, gently pushed Kaira into the hole.

"Ahh!" Kaira fell and landed on her back. "Urgh, Mei!" Mei merely smiled and transformed back into her normal self. Kaira rubbed her head before trying to stand. "Ahh, looks like you win…again." Kaira tried to smile. She always loses to Mei, it's kind of embarrassing.

"Meow?" Mei asked, watching Kaira try to climb out of the hole.

"No, I got it," Kaira said, falling back into the hole again, "um, let's take a break, okay?" There was a feminine laugh from behind Mei. "That's pathetic. You can't escape from your own trap." Mei spun around and hissed. "Who's there?" Kaira growled, trying harder to climb up. "Oh, hey, Mei." Yuuna smiled, kneeling down and put her hand out for Mei. Mei still hissed. "I see you remember what I did." Yuuna smirked and stood back up. "Kiba told me you'd be here." Yuuna said, walking over the hole. She looked down and saw Kaira in the hole.

"Oh, Yuuna…" Kaira said, kind of annoyed. "Why did Kiba tell you?" Kaira imagined Yuuna trying to seduce him and Kaira got even more annoyed. Yuuna's emerald eyes twinkled as she caught onto what Kaira was feeling. "Y'know, that boy toy of yours is really cute." Yuuna said, twirling her hair. "I wouldn't mind making him my own." Kaira glared at her. "In fact, before I came here-"

_If she laid a finger on Kiba, I would-!_ Then Kaira caught herself being defensive of Kiba. He isn't hers, so why is she acting like this? "Shut up." Kaira murmured, finally climbing out. When Kaira's fingers reached the top, where Yuuna was standing. Yuuna glared and stepped on her hands. "Ah!" Kaira yelled. "Yuuna, you!" Yuuna leaned over and smirked.

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Sasuke, by the way." Yuuna said. Kaira flinched from pain and looked at Yuuna. "Meow!" Mei jumped on Yuuna, but she swatted her away with hardly any effort. "Mei!" Kaira said through clenched teeth.

"Now, listen to me, Kaira." Yuuna growled. "I got tons of grief from my boss because of you." Kaira looked up at Yuuna's face and saw three scratches on her left cheek. The scratches looked like she was attacked by a cat, it was like a cat's claw had scratched her. "My perfect face, ruined!" Yuuna pressed down on Kaira's hand harder. "So let's make this even." She grinned as she kicked Kaira's face. Kaira rolled back into the hole with blood trickling from her head. "Meowww!" Mei ran towards Yuuna's leg and bit her. "Stupid cat!" Yuuna screamed, jumping away. Yuuna reached down and threw Mei. Mei landed on her feet, thankfully. Kaira was dizzy from being kicked in the face. "Wha..?" She was at a loss for what just happened. Kaira could hear Mei hissing. "Mei?" Kaira tried to stand, but only fell back down. "Oww." She gripped her head in pain. Yuuna spat at Mei and rubbed her leg. "I swear, if I wasn't under the boss's orders to not kill you, I sooo would!" Yuuna took out a kunai and aimed it at Mei. "I can still torture you, however."

"Yuuna, what do you think you're doing?" Another voice called. Mei quickly turned around and searched who's voice it was. Yuuna shivered as she dropped her kunai. "Did you really just kick Kaira?" The girl from the chuunin exams came out of the woods. It was the girl who had put Kaira under the genjutsu. Her long pigtails were about as long as her little body. Her blue eyes were bluer than a clear sky. She was small, still a kid, but a deadly aura formed around her.

"Rimi…" Yuuna muttered. Mei looked at Rimi and immediately stopped hissing. "How did you find me here?"

"When you told that Inuzuka kid that you needed to find Kaira, I had my doubts." Rimi yawned, removing her cloak. She work a tight black tank top. She also had black shorts with a white belt. She wore a headband with the village hidden in the rocks symbol around her neck. The symbol was slashed through. So she was a missing ninja too. What was most noticeable about her was the huge sword on her back. It was twice her size, but that didn't seem to faze her. "Be glad, I found you instead of Mai." Rimi sighed. Yuuna shivered again. "Is she coming?"

"No, I didn't tell her." Rimi replied, walking past Yuuna and checking into the hole where Kaira was dazed. "I just came to look at Kaira so I can transform into her." Rimi jumped into the hole and studied Kaira. "Who.. Are you?" Kaira questioned, trying to stare at Rimi, but only saw a blur. Rimi only smiled before jumping out. Rimi Kedouin is apart of the Kedouin clan, a clan that has the ability to copy someone's appearance to a T, by merely looking at them. Rimi is a direct descendent of the head of the clan, so she is one of the best there is. Usually, one will have to wear a mask and be around the target to transform, but for Rimi, she can transform any time she wants for however long she wishes. That is why she is the best.

"So, what do you think?" Rimi questioned, spinning around. When she stopped, she looked and sounded exactly like Kaira. "I would say good job, but you just got lucky that she was off guard." Rimi mocked, shrugging.

"Just looking at her face on you makes my blood boil." Yuuna hissed.

"Fffft!" Mei said, running at Rimi. Rimi looked at Mei and bent down. "Come here, Mei, let's go home." Rimi smiled Kaira's smile and Mei stopped and sat down. Her technique was so good that even Mei fell for it.

"You never cease to amaze me." Yuuna said, covering her eyes.

"Kaira!"

The girls looked at the forest and Kiba and Akamaru emerged. Rimi smirked. Things just keep getting better and better.

"Ah, Kiba, why're you here?" Rimi questioned. Kiba looked at Yuuna, then back at Rimi.

"I was worried since Yuuna said she needed to talk to you. She told me she wanted to apologize to you, but I couldn't help but worry." Kiba said cautiously.

"Don't worry, boy, we made up." Yuuna breathed carefully. Rimi nodded excitedly. Rimi starred at Kiba, studying him.

"Well, I'm glad everything is okay." Kiba said, starting to turn away. Akamaru barked.

_If I injure this boy in Kaira's form, he will believe she is traitor. He'll go back and tell everyone.. She'll be banished and it would be easier for us to snatch her without people worrying about her._ Rimi thought, smirking. Rimi released Mei onto the ground and she grabbed Kiba's elbow. "Wait, Kiba." Rimi spoke softly. Kiba turned back and looked straight into Rimi's eyes.

Usually when he looks into Kaira's eye, he'll blush, but this time he didn't.

"Yes, Kai?" Kiba asked.

"Stay around for a bit." Rimi purred, circling around him. Yuuna seems edgy, she didn't know what was going on. Rimi slowly reached for her kunai and pulled Kiba closer to her. Then Yuuna caught on. She swiftly turned away and acted like she was petting Mei, who watched Rimi silently.

"Kaira, is something wrong?" Kiba asked. Rimi pulled out her kunai and grabbed Kiba's hair. She put the kunai to his neck.

"I hate this village; I won't rest until it's destroyed." Rimi growled into Kiba's ear. She then pushed him away and stabbed him in the stomach.

"Kaira?" Kiba grunted, falling to his knees, then to the ground. _Is this really Kai?_ Akamaru barked at Rimi. "Akamaru! Go find Kurenai-sensei and warn her!" Kiba ordered quickly. Yuuna stood and grabbed Mei.

"I don't think so, boy." Yuuna said, jumping in front of Akamaru and picking him up. Akamaru tried to fight but Yuuna zapped him and Mei with her lightning jutsu, knocking them both out.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, trying to stand. He pulled out the kunai and threw it at Rimi. She dodged it with ease.

"I hope you didn't actually think I liked you; I only earned your trust so it would be easier to betray you." Rimi coughed, walking over to Kiba. She kicked him and he rolled over. "I'll leave you here to rot." She kicked him again and he was knocked unconscious Rimi walked away and over to the hole where Kaira was. "Yuuna, take Kaira and those animals to a hidden place; I'm going to have some fun with her body."

"What're you going to do?" Yuuna asked, starring at the real Kaira.

"I'm going to have her betray the village so she'll be an outcast. If no one wants her, it'll be much easier for us to take her. Especially with the Uchiha boy and Inuzuka boy out of the way, there will be no one to stop the village from hating her." Rimi laughed. Yuuna picked up Kaira on her shoulder and started away. "I'll have this job done by tomorrow night." Rimi said as she turned away and started off towards the village. Yuuna smiled and took one step away. The real Kaira opened her eyes and saw Kiba on the ground. Blood was on Kaira's face, but all she could see was Kiba. "Kiba..?" Kaira questioned. "Wha-? What happened?" Kaira asked, struggling to get free. Yuuna rolled her eyes and she dropped Kaira to the ground. "Yuuna?" Kaira glared. "What did you do to Kiba?" Yuuna dropped Mei and Akamaru and Kaira gasped.

"It wasn't my doing, I'm just following the order of a higher-up." Yuuna replied. "I must say, Rimi's plan is pure genius."

"Rimi?" Kaira questioned. _The genjutsu girl?_ Kaira wondered. Kaira stood up and shook her head. "Cat Instincts." Kaira huffed. Her eats and tail popped out. Her eyes turned into slits and she bared her fangs.

"You really want to fight?" Yuuna cracked her knuckles and giggled. She made hand symbols and pressed down on the ground. "Lightning Surge!" Lightning was seen traveling from her all the way to Kaira. Kaira quickly jumped back, but the lightning followed. "You're useless without Mei to support you." "Wind style: Circling Storm!" Kaira said, releasing a ball of wind onto the ground to break up the lightning. It worked as the lightning died down. "I'm not all that useless." Kaira growled, running towards Yuuna and scratching her chest and arm. Yuuna jumped away as she started bleeding. Kaira's claw have gotten sharper.

"Dammit, Kaira, you make me so angry." Yuuna screeched, holding her injured arm. "I can't wait for the prophecy to be fulfilled!" Yuuna said, kneeling down and touching the ground lightly for support.

Kaira froze. Yuuna knew about the prophecy as well? "What do you mean?" Kaira questioned. Yuuna smiled evilly.

"You mean you don't know?" Yuuna replied. "Wow, no wonder you've been living in peace." She mocked.

"Tell me." Kaira whispered under her breath.

"Let me tell you one thing, it involves your father and mother." Yuuna glared, cockily. "I know you knew your mother, but your father, hah!" Kaira put her hands up to her head. "It's because of them why you're cursed. It's because of them why your mother and little sister were murdered."

_**Who does this girl think she is?**_ Kaira flinched. That voice from the chuunin exams is back. _**She keeps going on and on about something that happened in the past. **_Kaira shook her head. Why is it back?

Yuuna touched the ground again "Lightning serge!" This time, the lightning made a direct hit with Kaira. Kaira fell to the ground, partly paralyzed.

_Voice, I don't know who you are, but I know you are powerful; If you could defeat Yuuna, I'd be thankful. _Kaira closed her eyes and her whole body ached.

"Are you finished already?" Yuuna laughed, standing up and walking over to Kaira. "I hear the Nekoosa clan is supposed to have special jutsu that makes them powerful, but obviously, you do not possess these jutsus." Yuuna shrugged and pulled on Kaira's arm. "Let's go."

Kaira's eyes opened and she slashed Yuuna's arm away. "**I won't be defeated so easily.**" Kaira hissed, slowly standing up. "**I don't think you even know who you're messing with.**" When Kaira stood, she didn't show her eyes, but Yuuna could sense that Kaira was releasing more chakra than she normally does. She glared as she touched her bleeding forearm.

"Damn you, you never know when to give up!" Yuuna spat. "It looks like I'll just have to use the same jutsu as last time to knock you out." Yuuna put her hands together. "Lightning Release, lightning hound!" Like last time, lightning generated from her hands and formed into a hound.

Kaira smirked. "**I know you know of my existence, so I'll make this quick.**" She spoke. Yuuna suddenly felt cold, like the temperature dropped 30 degrees. Kaira disappeared and reappeared right in front of Yuuna. Kaira pushed Yuuna's hand down and grinned. That is when Yuuna looked straight into Kaira's eyes.

Kaira's eyes were not only cat-like, but they were blood red; it was like looking into a puddle of blood, fresh blood.

"You, you're the…" Yuuna muttered, releasing her jutsu. Kaira reached up and put her index finger on Yuuna's throat. Yuuna gulped and started to sweat.

Kaira slowly dug her claw into Yuuna's throat. "**This was too easy." **Then Kaira slashed across and Yuuna fell to the ground. Kaira looked at her claw soaked with Yuuna's blood. She licked it then cringed. "**That wasn't even a worthy opponent.**" She wiped the blood on her pants then released her cat instincts and fell to the ground. "D..Did you kill her?" Kaira whispered to herself, starring at Yuuna's body. _**Who cares if I did or not? The point is that she's out of the way.**_ The voice spoke.

"I didn't want her dead…"

_**She needs to be killed; if she isn't, she'll keep coming back to try to kill you.**_

"…who are you?"

_**You are my host, I am you.**_

"W..what?" Kaira questioned, feeling her wounds start to throb more. Kaira opened her mouth to speak more, but words seemed so far away. Kaira tried to look for Kiba, Akamaru and Mei, but they were out of eyeshot from her. She closed her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

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**I hope you really enjoyed that :D I shall update the next chapter shortly :D**

**REVIEW? :3**


	20. The Girl with Two Faces

**Yesss! Another chapter out :D  
ENJOY!**

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**.:Later that Night:.**

Kaira opened her eyes from the events that happened just a few hours ago. She sat up and held her head. "Where am I?" She stood up and dusted herself off. Immediately, Kaira saw Kiba laying on the ground nearby. "Kiba!" Kaira fell back to her knees and crawled over to him. "Kiba…!" Then everything came back to Kaira. Yuuna came, next thing Kaira knew she was in a hole and and and… when she came back to, Kiba was on the ground, bleeding and Kaira fought Yuuna.

Well, it wasn't Kaira who fought Yuuna.

Kaira turned to where Yuuna should have been, but she wasn't there anymore. All that was left was blood-stained grass of where she should be. But that wasn't Kaira's priority right now. She rolled Kiba over and saw where the kunai had pierced him. Kaira looked and saw Mei and Akamaru laying by him. She shook them and they both woke up.

"Mei! Akamaru!"

"Arf!" Akamaru barked, rushing over to Kiba. Mei slowly got up and stretched.

"Mei, come over here and wake him up!" Kaira ordered, hurriedly. Mei pranced over carelessly and stood atop Kiba and her paws started glowing. Mei was transferring some of her chakra over to him. After awhile she jumped off with a cute little meow and rubbed against Kaira. "Kiba…?"

"Urrrgh." Kiba moaned, showing signs of him starting to wake. He didn't open his eyes, he just touched his wound.

"Kiba." Kaira whispered. She lifted him up and flung him over her shoulders. She wasn't as strong as other leaf ninjas, but she wasn't weak either. However, carrying Kiba took a lot of strain on her. "Come one, Mei, Akamaru, we have to take him to the hospital." Kaira said, running back to the village.

It was nighttime, so it was extremely quite outside. All that she could see was the outline of trees illuminated by the light of the moon and stars. The leaves rustled as she past by them. Kaira's mind was filled with thoughts of what happened while she was unconscious.

She finally reached the gate and it was closed.

_Weird, the gate is usually never closed…_ Kaira pushed against the gate, but it was so huge, it wouldn't move. _I have to get through!_ Kaira knocked and banged against the gate hardly.

"Meow!" Mei meowed, pawing against the gate.

"Let me in!" Kaira yelled, starting to cry.

"Who's there?" A voice said from inside the gate. Kaira smiled from relief.

"Kaira Nekoosa." Kaira said tiredly. She heard a gasp as the gate cracked open. Kimi was on the other side and she looked as if she had been crying.

"Kai…ra?" Kimi repeated, starring at her friend. Kaira tried to squeeze through, but Kimi didn't let her. "How did you get out?" Kaira cocked her head to the side.

"Get out?" Kaira questioned. "Kimi, it's a long story, but first I need to get Kiba to the hospital." Kaira showed Kiba to Kimi and she gasped again.

"Kaira, you better run away; I don't know how you got out, but it's a good thing you did." Kimi reached out to Kaira and signaled for Akamaru. Kaira looked confused, and she should be, none of what Kimi is saying is making any sense.

"Kimi, what are you talking about?" Kaira asked. Kimi opened the gate a little bit more and Kaira could see fire emerging from a nearby building. The village looked like there was something strange going on. Kaira opened her mouth to talk, but next thing she knew, she was on the ground with a leaf ninja stepping on her with many other Jounin-ranked ninja standing around her. Kaira looked up and saw Shizuka holding Kiba with one arm. One of the Jounin also had Mei inside an electric cage.

"Shizuka-sensei..." Kimi noted, stepping back as they found Kaira. Kimi made a sad face as her friend had been caught. "I told you to run, Kaira." Kimi sighed.

"Kaira?" Zai asked, peeking out from the Jounin around Kaira. Kaira struggled to get free but her efforts were useless.

"Kaira, you are under arrest for murder and destruction of Konoha." Shizuka whispered. Kaira shot her head up to Shizuka.

"For what?" Kaira yelled, sliding back and forth.

"We don't have a hokage, so we have to decide punishment ourselves." The ninja holding her down said. He pressed harder down on her, making it hard for Kaira to breathe. "I say we kill her."

"No!" Zai yelled. "There must be an explanation why she must have done this! I know her, she wouldn't go around killing innocent civilians for no reason." He tried. "Right, Shizuka-sensei?" He looked at their sensei and she only looked down at Kiba.

"She even injured that Inuzuka boy." Another Jounin said, pointing towards Kiba. "If Tsume were here, she'd be fuming."

"Speaking of." Shizuka turned and saw Tsume Inuzuka standing in the gate entrance, right by Kimi.

"Kiba…?" Tsume walked over to Kiba and held him. Her gaze then turned to Kaira.

"We found her carrying him." The previous Jounin said. "She must have injured him and was trying to hide him."

"No." She spoke roughly. "I don't like the Nekoosa clan, but I know Kiba always talked fondly of this girl. They were close friends and from what Kiba described, she wouldn't have done this." Tsume said, picking up her son and Akamaru barked, agreeing.

"But…" A girl stepped out of the crowd and showed her face. Her bright blue eyes were easily recognizable. She grinned and she walked over and touched the Inuzuka boy. "If Kaira didn't do it, who could have?" She purred, facing Kaira. Tsume growled at the girl, but she didn't notice. "I say we banish her from the village."

"I think we should kill her!"

"Yes! Kill her!"

"What do you think, Tsume?" The girl spoke, smiling smugly at Kiba's mother. She looked at her son for a long time. "Should we kill your son's 'friend'?"

"…no." Tsume said, glaring at the girl. "I'd rather have her banished then to kill her."

"Does anyone want to go against Tsume's decision?"

The crowd fell silent; no one dared to disagree with Tsume.

"I think we should take her in for questioning first." Shizuka spoke. "To check if she actually did do it." Shizuka whispered.

"What? We had eye-witnesses! We even saw her ourselves." A Jounin fought.

"I know, but, her memory, it's been cleared from when the killings happened." Shizuka said. The girl bit her lip. "I only see her waking up and finding Kiba unconscious next to her." Everyone fell silent and Kimi and Zai smiled. Everyone knew that Shizuka can read minds.

"But what if she's only saying this because Kaira is her student?" The girl spoke.

"You know, you memories are blocked, I wonder how that happened." Shizuka glared. The girl recoiled and nodded.

"Fine, we'll take her in for questioning." She agreed, stepping away. Shizuka smiled and leaned down to pick up Kaira. The Jounin holding her down, stepped away also.

"Let's go, Kaira." Shizuka said, lifting Kaira up.

"Shizuka-sensei, I didn't do anything." Kaira whispered. Shizuka nodded before guiding Kaira inside the village.

_I'm not sure why her memories are blocked but I'm not too certain with her being innocent. _"I'm sorry, Kaira, but I have to wonder too; I saw you kill with my own eyes." Shizuka said, pushing Kaira along. The Jounin all followed Shizuka and Kaira inside. Even Zai and Kimi followed, all that was left behind was the girl with blue eyes.

"I will have them banish her." She mumbled, transforming back into Rimi. "I told Yuuna to kidnap her, but obviously Yuuna failed." She bit her nail and glared. "Well, I guess I'll just have to change things up a bit; this outcome works too." Rimi smiled and turned away from the village.

**.:The Next Morning:.**

Kaira was sitting on a chair with a table in front of her. She yawned tiredly as Ibiki entered the room. "Oh, the interrogation force sent the leader, huh?" Kaira said nonchalantly.

"I would advise you not to talk to be like that." Ibiki huffed, standing across from her. "Now, we could get this interrogation over with if you only admit why you killed those civilians. If you just tell me, I won't need to torture you." He starred at her and she looked away.

"I told you, I didn't kill anyone! I was outside the gate, training, then…" Kaira tried to think, "then…"

"It looks like torturing is needed here." Ibiki said. Kaira's blood drained.

"No!"

"Inoichi, go ahead." Ibiki spoke as Ino's father along with other members came into the room.

**.:Inuzuka Household:.**

"Ah, Kiba, it's good to see you awake." Hana Inuzuka, Kiba's older sister, said. Kiba had finally awoke and was in his bed at his house. He sat up and looked around.

"What happened?" He asked, looking around. Akamaru barked and laid on Kiba' lap.

"Mom found Kaira carrying you, you were unconscious and had a stab wound on your stomach." She explained. "I healed your wound though, so you should be better; lucky for you it was a light wound."

"Kaira! Where is she?" Kiba said urgently. Hana flinched as she turned away.

"Do you remember what happened before you were unconscious?"

"I don't-" Then Kiba remembered he went into the forest outside of Konoha and saw Kaira and Yuuna together. Kaira threw the kunai at Kiba's stomach and then kicked him. That's all he remembered. "No." Kiba lied. "I don't remember anything."

"Really?" Hana asked, facing her brother. "Last night Kaira came into the village and killed seven civilians; they weren't even ninja."

"Kaira did?" Kiba asked.

"Yes, but Shizuka found Kaira by the entrance, trying to escape apparently. She was carrying you when she was caught."

"Where is she now?"

"I believe she is currently being questioned by the interrogation force." Hana said like it was nothing. Kiba jumped out of bed. "Careful, your wounds!"

"I have to go over and get Kaira!" Kiba said, putting on a new pair of clothes.

"Mom is over there too." Hana said. "It's surprising, but last night she came here, dropped you off and said she had to go see if she could clear Kaira's name." Hana smiled. "I think you started a trend by giving the Nekoosa a chance." Kiba blushed and dashed past his sister.

"Let's go, Akamaru." Kiba said.

"Arf!" Akamaru ran after Kiba as they both left for the Konoha Intelligence Division.

**.:An Hour Later:.**

Shizuka was standing outside the room where Kaira was being held. She flinched with every scream Kaira made. _I know they're trying to get information out of her, but this is too much. You can't unblock her memories by torture,_ Shizuka thought.

"Shizuka, you're just going to let them torture your student?" Tsume asked, laying on the floor outside the room. She had been pounding on the door all night, she finally grew tired and was taking a rest.

"What else could be done? If I try to stop them, they'll take me as a suspect as well." Shizuka sighed. "Brother would know what to do…" She whispered.

"You don't actually think she could have done it, could you?" Tsume asked, looking up at Shizuka. She closed her eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm not sure. I don't want to believe she did, but I can't be certain."

"Yeah, same." Tsume said. "Kiba told me she has no family, but the way he talks about her…" Tsume trailed off. "Young love." Then she smiled, which is rare for her. Shizuka tried to smile, but love brings back memories of her own.

Suddenly the doors that lead outside busted open.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked, running and jumping on Tsume.

"Mom, where's Kaira?" Kiba rushed, walking into the room and touched the door to Kaira's room. Shizuka looked shocked that Kiba came to get Kaira.

Then Kaira's scream of pain erupted from the room behind them all.

"Kai!" Kiba yelled, slamming against the door.

"Kiba, it's no use." His mom warned.

"She's in there, and they're hurting her." Kiba said. Shizuka reached over and touched Kiba's head.

"There is nothing we can do, if you go in there, they will take you into interrogation too." Shizuka said harshly.

"Kaira didn't do anything!" Kiba said.

"How do you know?" Shizuka asked.

"I…I don't, but I'm positive that Kaira wouldn't do anything like this!" Kiba fought. "This isn't something she would do. She's always been scared to lose people close to her! She wouldn't do this to her village." Shizuka and Tsume were taken back by his response.

In the interrogation room, Kaira was throw on the floor with blood running down her body. She breathed hard as she tried to stand.

"Do you want to tell us now?" Ibiki asked. "Or shall we continue?"

"No, I told you, I don't remember anything." Kaira spoke slowly.

"You continue with that?" Ibiki sighed like it was a hassle. "Well, then…"

"No." A voice spoke. Ibiki turned around, but right when he turned around, the lights went off.

"Who's there?" He questioned. Then, one by one, each of the interrogation force members were attacked and all Ibiki could hear was their grunts and them falling to the floor. "What's going on!"

"Wow, and I thought the members of the interrogation force would be powerful." Rimi, disguised as Kaira, laughed. As soon as her sentence was done, the light turned back on. Ibiki starred around the room as his force was laying the floor, tossing and turning from pain. There was no Kaira to be found.

"She escaped?" He said through clenched teeth. He rushed over to the only doors in the room and slammed them open. Shizuka, Tsume, and Kiba were standing in the room, starring at him.

"Kaira?" Kiba said, looking inside the room as Ibiki rushed past them. When he looked inside the room he froze. "What…?" Tsume and Shizuka looked in and gasped.

"Ibiki! What happened!" Shizuka asked, following him.

"She escaped! The lights went off, she defeated my force and when the lights came back on, she was gone!" Ibiki said sternly. "Only a guilty person would try an escape." Then he left. Shizuka stopped and looked back at Kiba, who was frozen at the door. Tsume turned around and chased after Ibiki.

"Kiba…?" Shizuka asked, walking over to him.

"She wouldn't…" Kiba spoke. Shizuka touched his shoulder and he didn't move.

"Things don't look good for her; maybe…" Shizuka looked away, "maybe she did commit the murders." That caught Kiba off guard.

"Arf?" Akamaru tried. Kiba pulled away from Shizuka as he went into the room. He saw blood on the floor and wondered if it was Kaira's. Shizuka looked sad as she decided to follow Tsume and Ibiki.

"Kaira wouldn't." Kiba said as he went to the center of the room.

"Meow?"

Kiba turned to the corner of the room where Mei was being held. He walked over and touched the cage, which shocked him.

"Arf, arf!" Akamaru barked happily. Kiba ran and searched all the members to find the key to the cage. When he found it, he pressed it and Mei was released. Mei jumped down and ran over to Akamaru and they ran in circles.

"If Kaira really escaped, she wouldn't leave Mei behind." Kiba murmured to himself. "Mei, did you see where Kaira went?"

"Meow!" Mei purred.

"Show me, let's follow her." Kiba said. Mei seemed to have smiled as she ran out of the building with Kiba and Akamaru trailing behind her. They past a lot of buildings, until Mei finally brought him to the gate. "Are you sure they went out this way?" Kiba asked before catching a whiff of cat. "I can smell her." He said, walking out of the gate and following his nose. He didn't want to leave the village, but if he had to find Kaira and the person who was framing her, then he will. _I'd better get going before the village sends a retrieval group after her, if they even want to catch her._

Then Kiba took off from Konoha to search for Kaira; so clear her name.

**.:Later That Night:.**

"Meow?" Mei asked, stopping by a lone tree. Kiba huffed as he finally stopped. He had been traveling all day and he's had no luck with finding her. They left the village and made it out of the forests surrounding it; they were in plains.

"Where could she have gone?" Kiba wondered aloud. _I have her scent, and I keep feeling like she's near, but she isn't._ Kiba bit his cheek before taking off again.

**.:Elsewhere:.**

Rimi threw Kaira down against a single tree in the middle of nowhere. Kaira had been tied up and her mouth was forced closed by a handkerchief. "We should be far enough out." Rimi yawned. Kaira glared at her. Rimi smiled Kaira's smile. "I doubt your village members will come looking for you." Rimi laughed. "I know boss didn't say to bring you yet, but I'm sure bringing you to our hideout early won't do much harm." Rimi winked and stuck out her tongue. She sat down next to Kaira and stretched.

Kaira struggled to get free. Rimi leaned over and grinned at Kaira.

"So tell me, how did you defeat Yuuna?" Rimi questioned. Kaira turned away from Rimi. "You wanna know something?" Rimi asked. Rimi took out a kunai and touched it lightly. "Our group is after you." Rimi played with the kunai for a bit. "We're after you because you have something we want. I don't think you notice it yet, though." Rimi used the kunai to cut her finger. Rimi put her cut finger up to Kaira's nose. "I heard its bloodthirsty."

Kaira smelled the blood and made a face before turning away again. _What is this girl talking about? Why does she look like me? Who is bloodthirsty? Who is this girl? She must've been the one to commit those murders at Konoha._ There were so many questions in Kaira's mind.

_**Seriously, this girl, putting her blood up to my nose, is really tempting me.**_ Kaira froze. Oh no.

_You again…_

_**Of course, you can't just get rid of me.**_ Kaira turned back into Rimi's finger.

"There we go." Rimi smiled. Rimi pulled away and Kaira started to breath heavy. "It's weird, you don't even know about that thing inside you."

_**Was I just called a 'thing'? This girl is asking to be killed.**_

_Calm down. _

"It's still a mystery, even to us, but we even know more than you." Rimi laid down and quickly fell asleep.

_Why have you been awaken so easily now?_

_**These girls are after me. It seems the barrier that keeps me inside your body is weakened whenever they are around. I should be grateful, but I do not want to be taken by them.**_ _**I'd rather just wait for the prophecy to occur.**_

_Everyone is talking about this 'prophecy'! What is it?_

_**Wow, you have no clue. Well, that makes sense, if you knew, you wouldn't have any friends.**_

_What?_

_**I'll tell you when it nears. In the meantime, let me help you escape; I can't stand this girl! She steals our face, frames us, and now is teasing me with blood.**_

She wanted to ask more, but knew better. Kaira grew claws and fangs. She nibbled through the handkerchief and scratched through the ropes. Kaira could have escaped whenever she wanted to, but wanted to wait for Rimi to be asleep. Rimi obviously underestimated her.

She slowly stood up and backed away. Kaira ran back the path where Rimi had brought her. When she was at least a mile away, she stopped.

_Even if I go back, I'll still be accused of murder… it isn't even safe to go back… _Kaira thought. She sunk to the ground and looked around. _It seems like I won't have anything to go back to… Sasuke, what would you do? Kiba, I'm sorry._

_**Don't be such a wimp; I won't allow any host of mine to give up so easily.**_

Kaira closed her eyes and when she opened them, her red eyes returned. Kaira grabbed her head and her eyes turned back to purple.

"I won't let you control me!" Kaira hissed. Kaira stood and stumbled around the woods, off the path. "**I've grown tired of your sadness! I want to kill someone.**" She spoke. Kaira kept walking off and eventually fell into a ditch. "It's my body!" Kaira tossed and turned in the ditch, fighting with herself. "**Weakness fuels me. You're showing a lot of it right now.**" Kaira bit her lip. "I need to go back to Konoha; that's home! I'd rather be taken prisoner there, then by those girls! Someone there will see I'm innocent…" Kaira whispered, fading into the darkness.

**.:Few Hours Later:.**

Kiba rushed down a hill quietly. He hadn't slept since the night before; he was too busy searching for Kaira. The real Kaira.

_I can smell it; she's near._ Kiba smiled as he started to pick up more speed. Akamaru and Mei were following closely behind him.

Then, there was a single tree in sight. A figure surrounded by shadows was leaning against it. Kiba ran over to it and smiled when he saw Kaira, sound asleep. Mei jumped on her and Kiba leaned down and shook her.

"Wha…?" She fluttered her eyes open and quickly saw up. "You!" She exclaimed, looking around and only seeing him.

"Kaira!" Kiba gasped, hugging her. She was taken back and patted his back. "I knew you didn't commit those murders; someone must have been framing you." He said with joy. She studied him.

"Oh really? You knew it wasn't me?" She repeated, slyly taking a kunai out.

"Yes, my Kaira wouldn't do that." Kiba smiled, helping her up.

_Your?_ Then Kaira smirked. "Oh." Kaira dusted herself off. "You're right! There's this girl who stole my face! She committed the murders and I came out here to give chase to her! To clear my name, Kiba!" Kaira pleaded. "Help me find her, Kiba."

"Of course, Kaira." Kiba nodded. Kaira smiled and hugged him. "Hurry, we better get going so she won't get that far." Kiba said, pulling her hand. Mei and Akamaru followed Kiba and Kaira.

_I'll use this boy to help me find Kaira; and when we find her, I'll kill him if she doesn't agree to come with me; but even if she does agree, I'll still kill him. _Rimi thought as she smirked her victory.

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	21. Support

**.:Couple Hours Later:.**

"Hey, Kiba," Rimi spoke softly as the night progressed. Kiba turned slightly towards her. "When we see this, 'shape shifter' what do you plan on doing?"

"Meow?" Mei questioned, but Rimi acted like she didn't hear.

"Well, I don't know." Kiba replied as he led the two of them. "But you said she has the same scent at you, right?"

"Yes." Rimi said, looking around for any signs of movement. _She shouldn't have gotten that far, I was only sleep for a few hours! Damn her for escaping so easily, but it worked out since this Kiba boy chased after her._ "Thank you for helping me, I don't know what I would do without you."

Kiba turned and faced Rimi. Again, he did not blushed, but only stayed serious.

"I knew you wouldn't betray the village where we grew up." Kiba said. "And when they said you escaped, the fact that you left Mei behind confirmed my suspicion. I know you would never leave Mei behind."

_Oh, so it's because I forgot the cat. This boy is really perspective of Kaira._ Rimi thought."You know me so well." Rimi said as she stopped running. Kiba stopped and looked back at her. "I so," She reached over and grabbed Kiba's jacket and pulled him closer to her, "glad." She giggled. Kiba studied her.

"You're welcome." He said, pulling away from her.

"Meow?" Mei said, jumping into Rimi's arms. Rimi petted Mei before setting her down. Kiba went off again and Rimi pouted.

"I can smell that she's near." Kiba said as they transitioned back into the forest. "In fact, she's right here." Kiba jumped over a tree and saw Kaira lying on the ground. Rimi followed and grinned when she saw Kaira. She immediately sat up when she saw them.

"Kiba…?" Kaira asked, smiling from relief. "I never thought you would have followed me." Then her eyes drifted to Rimi. "No!" Kaira jumped up and back and let out a hiss.

"You imposter! Don't try to trick Kiba into believing you're the real Kaira." Rimi said, pulling Kiba back.

"I am the real Kaira!" Kaira yelled, baring her fangs. "Mei!"

Mei meowed her confusion. Kiba looked back and forth between them but didn't know what to say.

"This should be an easy choice for you, Kiba," Rimi said sternly, "you know me better than anyone!"

Kiba turned around and nodded. "Let's go Akamaru!" Kiba said as Akamaru transformed into himself and they knelt down side-by-side. "We'll attack the imposter!" Rimi smirked and Kaira gasped.

"Hurry, Kiba, before she gets away!" Rimi said.

"Kiba, you aren't ready to fight! Your wound…!" Kaira fought. Kiba smirked as he turned to face Rimi.

"I knew you weren't Kaira." He said, "fang-over-fang!" Then Kiba and Akamaru turned ferociously in the arm and came down on Rimi Kaira covered her face as rocks were thrown everywhere. "You didn't act anything like Kaira! She wouldn't pull me close to her, she wouldn't ignore Mei, she wouldn't say I know her the best when Sasuke does, she wouldn't let me freely attack, knowing of my wound from yesterday." Kiba huffed, returned to Kaira's side.

"Kiba…" Kaira muttered, smiling at him. Kiba blushed. Rimi also doesn't make Kiba blush like the real Kaira does.

"Meow!" Mei said, rushing over to Kaira's side.

"Mei!" Kaira picked up Mei before she fell back.

"Wow, so sweet of you." Rimi laughed. Rimi stood up from the ground and dusted herself off. Her disguise faded away and she returned to her real self.

"You were at the chuunin exams!" Kaira gasped, sitting up. Rimi shrugged and pulled out her huge sword. "That's right! Rimi Kedouin, it's nice to meet you…again." She pointed the sword at Kiba and smiled.

"You were the one behind all this!" Kaira said, trying to stand up.

"Let's make this quick, shall we?" Rimi sighed and shook her head. She disappeared and reappeared right beside Kiba. She put her sword, pointing towards him, against his body. If he so much as moved, he'd be sliced. "Come with me so this boy doesn't have to die."

"Kiba!" Kaira gritted her teeth as she stood back up. "That is shallow; using someone as bait for another." She growled.

"This wouldn't be like this if you hadn't escaped." Rimi snapped. "Now, hurry, I'm getting impatient here." Rimi squeezed her sword closer to Kiba. Kaira closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll come with you." Kaira said, opening her eyes and revealing her cat-eyes. "Now let him go."

"As you wish, " Rimi said, slowly bringing her sword up. Kiba watched the sword as it almost cut him a few times. ", here, take these." Rimi said, throwing one pill at Kaira. "Unless you want this boy to die." Rimi raised her eyebrow and put her sword lightly on Kiba's head. He was too weak to fight back.

Kaira looked at the green pill and then back at Kiba.

"That pill will knock you out for a good amount of time." Rimi explained, "now hurry up."

"You coward." Kiba mumbled. "You cowardly cat!" Kiba yelled, looking at Kaira.

"Wha…what?" Kaira asked. Kiba glared at her and shook his head.

"Only a coward would do what an enemy says," Kiba went on, "you're giving up in battle so easily? Of course, I'd expect that from a Nekoosa." Then Kiba shrugged and grinned.

"H…How dare you say that about my clan you filthy mutt!" Kaira fumed, looking at the pill. "We Nekoosa never give up, that's the job of a dirty Inuzuka!" Kaira said, throwing the pill back at Rimi. She quickly looked at Mei. "Cat-Companion Body Switch!" Mei meowed before the jutsu activated.

"What?" Rimi glared, before swinging her sword at Kiba, but he had rolled away from her. "Urgh, dammit."

Kaira sprinted over to Rimi and pushed her up against a wall. Rimi dropped her sword in the process and kicked Kaira, but she wouldn't let her down. Actually, it was Mei in Kaira's body, but everyone knew that by now.

"I can't believe this!" Rimi grunted, trying to get free. "Held up by a cat." She rolled her eyes as the real Kaira, in Mei's body ran over to Kiba.

"Meow?" She asked, climbing on top of Kiba. He smiled at her and she nodded. She touched his partly headed wound and her paws started glowing.

"Wow, Kaira, you really trust your kitty to be more powerful than you." Rimi mocked before Mei pushed her deeper into the tree.

"Ffft!" Kaira hissed, not looking away from Kiba. Rimi reached up and touched Kaira's hair.

"Your face looks exactly like your mom's, but your hair…" Rimi muttered. Kaira spun around and starred as her heart started to beat faster.

_She knew my mom…?_ Kaira asked herself as she released her jutsu. She returned to her own body and shook her head. "Tell me about my mother."

"I am not the one that should be telling you anything; I'm only trying to buy myself time," Rimi smirked before she snapped her fingers. Her sword lifted up on its own, but Kaira didn't see. Mei and Kiba didn't notice it until it turned towards Kaira.

"Kaira!" Kiba warned. Right when he opened his mouth the sword dashed for Kaira. The next moment that came seemed to take forever. The only thing that could be seen was blood flying towards the ground.

Kaira opened her eyes and saw Rimi being held back by Ibiki. Shizuka had pushed Kaira to the ground and the sword was through the tree that Kaira had Rimi against.  
The blood that has fallen was Rimi's. Ibiki threw shurikan at her and they were all stuck in her body. Rimi rolled her eyes before Ibiki tightened his grip on her.

"Kaira, are you alright?" Shizuka asked, helping Kaira up. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

Kaira was still in shock of what just happened. She would have died if Shizuka and Ibiki hadn't shown up. She looked to the tree and saw Rimi's sword easily pierced through. Wait, so it Kaira was stabbed, wouldn't have Rimi been as well?

"Kaira?" Shizuka questioned, waving her hands in her face. Kaira brought her gaze up to her sensei and tried to smile.

"You saved me." Kaira murmured. Then Kaira looked over to Kiba and saw his mom was kneeling right by him.

"I convinced Ibiki to give chase to you, I knew you weren't the one behind this." Shizuka said, reading Kaira's thoughts. "Ibiki! That girl you have was impersonating Kaira for some reason."

Ibiki looked down at Rimi, who looked up at him and smirked.

"Wow, for a tough looking old man you sure aren't the brightest." Rimi giggled. Ibiki glared and pushed her down.

"I wouldn't be talking, you have shurikan in you, apparently you were caught by this old man." Ibiki spat. Rimi looked away and blew he bangs out of her face.

"Kiba, are you alright?" Tsume asked, examining him. Kuromaru, her companion, was sniffing Akamaru.

"Uh, yeah." He replied. Then Tsume turned strict.

"How dare you leave the leaf without telling anyone!" She roared, scaring him. "What were you thinking? You could have been killed! You're in no condition to fight!"

"I told you, I knew Kaira was innocent." Kiba whispered, startling her. Kaira crawled over to him.

"You knew, Kiba." She smiled and sat by him. He blushed and nodded. Tsume sighed and faced Kaira.

"He was determined to prove that you were innocent." Tsume explained and Kiba blushed more.

"Mom!"

"Thank you." Kaira said before hugging him. "If it weren't for you, I would still be considered guilty." Kiba hugged her back and Tsume slowly backed away. Shizuka looked over and smiled.

_This boy's thoughts…_ Shizuka relaxed and patted Tsume's back._ They're cute together. However, Kaira's thoughts are still clueless…_

"Shizuka, Tsume, I might need help here." Ibiki said. "This girl is a missing ninja and you two know how dangerous missing ninja can be."

Kaira stood and helped Kiba up. Shizuka and Tsume walked over to Ibiki and held onto Rimi.

"We'll have to take her in." Ibiki noted.

"Oh, I have no intention of going back to your dirty village." Rimi grumbled.

"What was that?" Tsume snarled.

"Old bat." Rimi shook her head. Tsume growled and leaped for Rimi but Shizuka held her back. "Look, this was all fun and all, but it looks like I failed." Rimi went on, "look, Kaira," Rimi made direct eye contact with Kaira before proceeding, "when the time comes for us to capture you, the boss will send the strongest of us after you. I admit, I'm no match against three grown jounin, so consider yourself lucky. But," Rimi seemed to turn dark and no one dared to interrupt, "when our strongest comes for you, consider your village doomed." Rimi swung her hair before her sword seemed to have exploded. The woods filled with a thick gas that no one could see out of.

"Kaira?" Shizuka asked, trying to find her way through the fog. Rimi went right up to Kaira and pulled her close to her.

"Mai will tear you apart." Rimi whispered in her ear. However, Kaira was too busy worrying that she hadn't heard Rimi. Then, with that, she vanished. Shizuka cussed aloud. The fog nullified all jutsu, so her mind reading jutsu was useless. Kaira grabbed Kiba and they stood close together. They couldn't see each other, but they knew they were there.

"Kiba!" Tsume called, wandering in the fog.

"Arf!" Akamaru tried, but his sense of smell was messed up due to the fog. Kuromaru lifted up Akamaru and Mei and rested them on his back before trying to find Tsume.

The fog lasted for at least five long minutes before finally dying down. Everyone could see each other, but the effect of the fog still hung around.

"We need to get back to the village." Shizuka said, walking over to Kiba and Kaira. Ibiki and Tsume came up to them after looking around.

"She's no where to be seen." Ibiki said, angrily. Tsume shook her head.

"The fog erased her scent, I can't find which way she went." Tsume said.

"We shouldn't have let her escape, who knows what else she knew!" Ibiki yelled. "At least we got piece of information." Ibiki turned towards Kaira and pointed at her. "They're after you, for some unknown reason." Kaira looked down without saying a word.

_They're after me because of the voice inside me… That is the only reason I could think of._ Kaira thought. Shizuka looked down on Kaira and watched her.

_If the fog's effect wasn't still in motion, I could read Kaira's memories and find out why they're after her…_Shizuka sighed before lightly pushing Kaira and Kiba along. "Any who, let's get back to Konoha; after all that's happened, I'm sure these kids would want a nice, long rest." She smiled down at Kaira and Kiba, who were too tired to smile back.

"I'm glad this is all over." Kaira muttered, taking off for home.

**.:Couple Days Later:.**

After the Kaira incident, Ibiki, Shizuka and Tsume cleared Kaira's name and explained how someone posed as Kaira and framed her. The information about a group wanting her stayed secret though.

Kaira returned to her everyday life with visiting the hospital to see Sasuke in the morning and stay during the afternoon, then she would eat dinner with Kiba. You could say the event brought the two of them even more closer together.

They were currently eating dinner at the Inuzuka residence. It was the first time Kaira had even been to Kiba's house. Mei and Akamaru were running around the house, playing together as Kaira and Kiba relaxed at the table.

"So how's Sasuke doing?" Kiba felt obliged to ask. Kaira took a sip of tea that Kiba's sister prepared. She put down the glass and played with her fingers.

"He's still unconscious and his brother's sharingan is still in full effect." Kaira replied, "his condition hadn't changed." Tsume entered the room and took a seat.

"I heard the new hokage is on her way. They say she's an advanced medical kunoichi." Tsume explained, "she'll fix Kakashi and Sasuke easy."

"So he'll be back to normal." Kiba tried, but wasn't too enthusiastic about it; back to fighting with him over Kaira. "Hey, Kaira, tell me about the sharingan." Tsume looked at her son.

"I thought I told you before, Kiba." She said. Kaira fidgeted.

"You only scratched the surface, mom, I want to know more."

Kaira cleared her throat and smiled, "it's a bloodline trait that only the Uchiha have. I'm still unclear on what it does, but I remember Sasuke telling me when we were children." Kaira said. "He said it allows the Uchiha to see the flow of chakra. It also allows the user to see a bit into a future, like, if they are in a fight, the user sees the enemy's move before he does it, and lastly, the sharingan grants the user the ability to copy an opponent's technique. I know there is a more advanced type of sharingan, but I am unsure what it does."

"Only Uchiha's get it, huh?" Kiba asked, interested. "What if someone is half Uchiha?"

"I have no clue, I don't think there is a half-Uchiha out there. But I think you have to be full Uchiha to be able to have the sharingan." Then Kaira shrugged.

"You're so knowledgeable." Tsume said. "Unlike my son here." She let out a roaring laugh and Kaira smiled as Kiba looked annoyed.

"I told you we should have just gone out to eat." Kiba said, not looking at his mom, who didn't seem to notice. Kaira shook her head. Tsume invited Kaira to come eat, but Kiba didn't think it was a good idea, however Kaira was excited to hear it.

"Okay, dinner is finished!" Hana came out of the kitchen holding a plate of steak. "Kiba's favorite." She set it down and Kiba changed his expression to a smile. He grabbed his fork and reached for a steak.

"Kiba!" Tsume yelled. "Let your guest get hers first."

"Ah, no, it's okay ma'am." Kaira tried.

"Come on, Kaira, you get to fill your plate first." Tsume replied, not listening to reason. Hana set more side dishes on the table and smiled.

"Go ahead, Kaira." Hana said. Kaira dished her food out and smiled at everyone as they started dishing theirs out next. Hana took a seat and nudged Kiba. Kiba was already stuffing his mouth with his food.

"Really, brother?" Hana shook her head.

"It's okay, Kiba always eats like this so I'm used to it." Kaira laughed, cutting her food. Tsume gasped.

"You mean he always eats like this in front of you?" She asked. Kaira nodded and ate some of her food.

"Sheesh, Kiba, I thought you at least would have cleaned up your act around Kaira." Hana said. Kiba swallowed his food and went for seconds.

"It's fine, I understand that's how he is." Kaira said, eating some more, "this is really good!" Hana smiled her thanks and continued eating.

Everyone kept eating until all the food was gone.

"Wow, Hana, you really know how to cook." Kaira exclaimed after she finished with her third and final heaping. Hana smiled again as she started taking away all the plates.

"Hey, Kaira, let's go train now!" Kiba said more excited than he should be. Akamaru jumped on Kiba's lap and Mei laid by Kaira's feet.

"Oh, okay." Kaira replied, standing.

"I don't think so, Kiba," Tsume interrupted, "you have to was the dishes. Get in the kitchen."

"Aw, mom!" Kiba complained. She glared at him and he walked into the kitchen. Kaira followed him and saw him filling the sink with water.

"I can help you so we finish sooner." Kaira offered. Kiba looked and her and shook his head.

"It's okay, I couldn't ask you to help me." Kiba said. Kaira made a face and Kiba's only thought was, _she's so cute._ "Um, tomorrow, I'll come over and we can eat breakfast tomorrow, before you go to the hospital."

"Okay then! I'll cook something special for you." Kaira brightened. She leaned against the wall and smiled as she wondered what to make. "Oh no! I forgot something at the hospital! I better go get it before the visiting hours close." Kaira said, feeling rushed. Kiba turned off the water and faced her. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Kiba nodded and Kaira went over to hug him. He blushed and held her tight. "Thank you for tonight."

Hana and Tsume peeked into the kitchen and saw them.

"Kaira is so polite, brother is so loud; it's weird how they attract." Hana whispered to her mother.

Kaira pulled away from Kiba and waved before turning away. She saw Kiba's family and smiled. "Thank you very much for dinner, it was great."

"You're welcome back anytime." Hana replied. With that, Kaira and Mei left. Tsume and Hana walked into the kitchen, where Kiba was trying to work. "You like her, huh?" Kiba blushed and dropped a plate

"Wha-What?" Kiba asked.

"Arf!" Even Akamaru was annoyed by Kiba's denial.

"Hana, don't tease him." Tsume said. Hana stepped back and nodded. "I like her though, besides, I wouldn't mind her being in our family."

"Both of you, hush!" Kiba yelled.

**.:Later that Night:.**

Kaira laid in bed and yawned. "Wow, dinner was so good!" Kaira exclaimed. Mei jumped onto the bed too and meowed. "Yeah, Kiba is lucky his sister knows how to cook."

"Meow?"

"He's coming over tomorrow morning," Kaira lightly blushed as she cuddled with her pillow, "my stomach has butterflies, that's weird."

"Meoww!"

"What?" Kaira rolled over and smiled, "we're friends, but I must say, he's been there for me a lot more now." Kaira whispered, "we've gotten so much closer; I never would have imagined that we would be as close as we are now."

"Meow…" Mei turned away and closed her eyes.

"Night, Mei." Kaira replied. _Kiba is sweet. He bought Mei her ribbon and he saved me a couple times, not to mention he believes in me._ Kaira shook her head and closed her eyes. _Sasuke should be waking up soon with the new hokage coming… what should I do? I can't handle both Kiba and Sasuke at the same time; it seems like I'll have to pick between them again…_ Kaira faded away with her thoughts of which one to pick. The same question that everyone is asking: Sasuke or Kiba?

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I added a poll on my profile about if I should add another 'side story' for Cat & Dog characters, well vote and tell me what you think :)**

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	22. Sasuke's Back

**OMG, I kept getting distracted when I kept trying to write this,**

**but it's finally here, sooo ENJOY :D**

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**.:Few Days Later:.**

The day arrived. The day everyone was patiently waiting for. Naruto and Jaraiya had successfully brought the new hokage back. It was a female by the name of Tsunade. Kaira and Shizuka were happy to see a girl taking the role of hokage, not only that, but they were glad she had the ability to heal Kakashi and Sasuke.

Kaira and Shizuka were told to visit the guys the day after they were healed; they were promised to be the first one to see them, but neither of them could sleep very well the night before out of anxiety.

"Mei, are you ready?" Kaira questioned, changing out her lounge clothes and into her black long-sleeve and shorts. Kaira just rushed to put whatever clothes she could find on. She had bags under her eyes that showed she couldn't sleep. The thought of seeing Sasuke made her excited and nervous. She thought about the day he fell into the coma; he said she only needed him. _In order to keep him happy, I have to make him feel like he's the only one I need…_

"Meow!" Kaira nodded once and walked into her living room. After Sasuke fell into the coma, she became close to Kiba. After the whole 'Kaira is a criminal' incident, their bond seemed to have deepened.

She looked at the newest picture in her house. It was right by her door and was framed and hanging on the wall. It was a picture taken by Kimi while squads 8 and 9 went out to eat.

[[ "Ah, I'm starving!" Kaira yelled excitedly when her food was set in front of her. Kiba got his food next, but he was too busy starring at Kaira.

"Wow, Kaira, you can eat fish like it's nothing." Kimi said. Hinata was sitting next to Kimi. "Um, I think it's because Kaira has the genes of a cat." Hinata added in silently. Shino nodded once. "Kiba too!" Zai pointed out. Everyone looked at Kiba's food. It was just a plate of various meats that the gang couldn't even name.

"I have the genes of a dog." Kiba tried. Kimi shook her head.

"At least we don't see Shino eating the same things at bugs. That'd be awkward…" Everyone laughed before digging in. Mei and Akamaru were playing under the table and weaving in between everyone's feet. Kaira looked at her fork, then at her spoon before using her hands to eat her fish. Kiba had a piece of meat hanging out of his mouth when Kimi pulled the camera on them.

"Hey you two, look!" Kimi said. They looked for a second, but in that second the picture was taken. They were both messy, but they both matched. ]]

Kaira smiled at the memory. How will she explain this to Sasuke?

She ran out the door and went straight for the hospital, where Sasuke was surely awaiting her visit.

"Oh hello, Kaira." A nurse greeted as soon as she entered the hospital. She looked through notes and Kaira went to her desk. 'Sasuke is awake, and he is currently being checked up on by Lady Tsunade."

"So, he's awake?" Kaira repeated slowly. The nurse nodded and smiled.

"As soon as he awoke, he mumbled your name." She said. Kaira huffed and smiled out of relief. "He'll be glad to see you."

"Did Shizuka already come in?"

"Yes, she came a bit earlier. When she saw Kakashi, I could hear her yell. She may not show it, but she cares for her brother." The nurse said sweetly. Kaira nodded and turned to walk away, but then faced the nurse again.

"Do you know why Shizuka acts angry at her brother all the time?" Kaira questioned. The nurse flinched and quickly shook her head.

"Rumor has it, it goes way back to when they were children, but I'm not too sure if the story is true or not; you're her student, I'm sure she'll trust you with the truth."

Kaira made a face but said her thanks and rushed off to Sasuke's room. It wasn't that much of a walk for her, but she paused outside of his room. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in." Tsunade's voice was recognizable. Kaira slowly opened the door and saw Tsunade and Sasuke. She was standing by the window and he was sitting up in his bed. They were clearly talking about something important and it seemed like Kaira interrupted them.

Sasuke looked over at Kaira and his face was emotionless.

"Oh, Kaira, you're here early." Tsunade sounded shocked.

"Not as early as Shizuka, apparently." Kaira joked and walked over to Sasuke. He studied Kaira, but said nothing. Tsunade nodded and walked towards the door.

"I'll leave you two to catch up." She said and closed the door behind her. "I need to go check up Lee anyways."

"Sasuke…" Kaira whispered, sitting on the edge of his bed. "How do you feel?" She reached over and fluffed his pillow for him. He didn't say a word, but opened his arms. Kaira leaned in and fell into his arms. "Sasuke, I missed you." Mei jumped onto Sasuke's legs and laid down.

"Kaira…" Sasuke murmured, hugging her. The two just stayed like this for a long time, not even trying to move. Kaira was too relieved to pull away and Sasuke was glad he had her back. "You were the first thing I thought of when I woke up. I wondered why you…" He trailed off. Finally, Kaira pulled away and starred into Sasuke's dark eyes. "I told Tsunade and she told me that I should focus my life on you. You seem to be the only good memory I have of my childhood, so…" "Sasuke, you need to rest…" Kaira budded in. He blinked a couple of times and put his hand up to her face. "Kaira, you're mine. I refuse to share you with the world." He said sharply. He clamped his hand around a strand of her hair.

"Meow." Mei meowed, turning back to watch them. "Ow, Sasuke!" Kaira flinched, bringing her hands up to his hand. When her hands covered his, he released and relaxed a bit more. "Don't worry, Sasuke, I'm here." She said and patted his hand. "Tell me what you did while I was unconscious." Sasuke said, starring at Kaira's purple eyes. Kaira told him about how she spent all day by his side until the hospital kicked her out. She told him about the girl named Rimi and how she stole Kaira's face. Kaira left out the part about Kiba though, which is a safe decision. "So as you see, I could have really used you during this time." She breathed and tightened her grip on his hand. He nodded slowly and gulped back.

"Kaira, could you get me a glass of water, please?" Sasuke asked. Kaira nodded and walked over to the table on the other side of the room. There was a pitcher filled with ice water that one of the nurses must have brought in when he was awaken. Kaira poured him a glass and brought it over to him. He reached out to it and drank half of it down with one gulp.

"When do you get to leave the hospital?" "Tsunade said this afternoon." Sasuke said casually. Kaira noted that he said her name so casually, even though he's the new hokage, but Kaira nodded anyways. Minutes went by in a silence that was not awkward to these childhood friends. It ended with Sasuke setting his glass of water down on the table next to his bed. "I wish I could leave now, but it's not like my house is much of a home to me anyways." "Sasuke, don't say that." Kaira replied, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "You are always welcome to my house."

"Kaira…" Sasuke drifted off into his own world. Kaira made a worried face before leaning towards him and touched his cheek gently. He seemed to come back, out of his thoughts. "Itachi was right in front of me, but I couldn't defeat him; I was defeated."

"Sasuke, you were exhausted from the chuunin exams." Kaira tried.

"No, the exams were over with way before Itachi came." Sasuke growled, pulling away from Kaira's hand. "I wasn't enough, I wasn't strong enough!" He spat, glaring at the wall. Kaira tried to touch him again, but he pulled away once more.

"You will defeat him next time. Don't blame yourself because you couldn't defeat him this time; there's always next time. You need to use this as motivation to get stronger." Kaira huffed, finally putting both hands on Sasuke's face and forcing him to look at her. "Being a quitter is not the Uchiha way of life."

Finally Sasuke smirked. "You sound like you know all about being an Uchiha." Kaira shrugged and released him.

"Well my childhood friend is one." She smiled and Sasuke laid back against his elevated bed.

"Next time, I'll get him."

"Next time." Kaira reassured.

The door opened and Sakura and Naruto rushed in.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke! Are you alright?"

Kaira scooted out of the way for Sasuke's teammates to see him. They tackled him and he cringed.

"I'll go over to see Shizuka-sensei and Kakashi." Kaira said. Sasuke opened his mouth to stop her but Naruto tuned him out.

Kaira walked out and went into the room next door. She saw Kakashi standing by the window and Shizuka sitting on the bed. "Wow, you recover fast." Kaira commented. Both adults looked at her. Shizuka's eyes were puffy and red and Kakashi had his mask pulled down so you could see both eyes.

"Kaira! How's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. "I was going to go over and see him, but I heard Naruto and Sakura talking loudly, so I assumed they were going to visit him.

"Oh yeah, they just went over. It was too crowded, so I came over here." Kaira shrugged. "Kakashi, how did you get that sharingan?" Kaira asked. She had never seen it yet, but it seemed like everyone else knew already. "You couldn't be Uchiha.." Shizuka sniffed and looked down.

"Oh, my friend gave it to me for my birthday present a long, long time ago." Kakashi said vaguely. Kaira cocked her head to the side, clearly confused.

"But how could that-"

"Kaira, I'll tell you about it some other time…" Shizuka murmured. Her voice cracked like she was ready to cry again. Kakashi looked back out the window. This time the silence was awkward.

"So, I am doing great, I feel 100 percent." Kakashi finally said and turned back towards Kaira and Shizuka. He sat on the bed next to his sister and it was obvious they were siblings. Their silver hair was the exact same color and they had the similar eyes, but different colors. As for the rest of their faces, Kaira couldn't tell because of Kakashi's mask. "I have to stay here for awhile so Lady Tsunade can come give me check ups."

"You have to stay? You're not released?" Kaira asked. Kakashi shook his head. "Oh." Kaira whispered. _Why does Kakashi have to stay but Sasuke gets to go?_

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said, slamming the door open. No Sakura, she must have stayed with Sasuke. Kakashi's face brightened when he saw Naruto.

"Well, brother, I am going to go; I'll come back though." Shizuka said, standing up and striding out of the room. She was covering her mouth when she walked passed Kaira. "Kaira, don't worry about me." She whispered before she left.

"I'll go back to Sasuke's room." Kaira said, slowly fading out of the room. She walked back to the room next door but before she opened it she heard a dog bark.

_Oh no, why is he here?_ Kaira wondered before turning and saw Kiba and Akamaru walking towards her down the hall.

"Hey, Kai! I figured I'd see you here." Kiba was all smiles as he closed in on her. Kaira was freaking out inside her head. _Why is he here? Doesn't he know how Sasuke feels about him and I spending time together? Ooh if Sasuke finds out, he's going to be angry. But I can't just shoo Kiba away, he came here looking for me, but why? He knows that today I was going to spend time with Sasuke today._

"Hey, is this Sasuke's room?" Kiba asked, pointing to the door Kaira was standing in front of. Kaira nodded once.

"Arf!" Kiba opened the door and walked in. "Hey, Sasuke, I'm glad to see that you're going good." Kaira's jaw dropped. This can't be happening. Sasuke looked over at Kiba and he glared. Kaira followed slowly behind and closed the door behind her.

"Excuse me, Sakura." Kiba said. She scooted over and Kiba was right next to Sasuke. Sakura could see the anger in Sasuke's face and she retreated.

"Um, I'm going to go check on Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said and rushed out. Kaira rolled her eyes.

_For someone who's in love with Sasuke she didn't even stay to support him._ Kaira thought, shaking her head.

"Hey, Sasuke, I want to tell you something."

"Kiba, no!" Kaira yelled, she went over and pulled him away from Sasuke.

"Meow?" Mei finally piped up. She stood and walked over to Sasuke and rubbed against him.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked harshly.

"I wanted to ask you if I could take Kaira out to breakfast." Kiba said. The anger in Sasuke's eyes grew.

"What makes you think she wants to go with you?"

"We've had breakfast every morning since you became unconscious." Kiba said.

"Get out of my room." Sasuke hissed.

"Fine, but I'm taking Kaira with me." Kiba replied just as cold.

"Both of you, just hush it! Can't I be friends with both of you?" Kaira budded in. "Why do you two always have to argue?"

"Kaira, I explained to you earlier about what Tsunade told me." Sasuke huffed. Kiba looked at Sasuke, then a Kaira and made a face.

"You're not the only one that cares are Kaira, Sasuke." Kiba said.

"Well I care for her more than you!" Sasuke fought back. Kaira sighed, seeing it was a lost cause.

"No you don't! "I was raised with her since we were small, I think it's clear that I do!"

"No! I am always here for her whenever you are not around, and that happens to be a lot, by the way!"

"You just came into her life recently! Do you ever think that a dog and cat can get along?"

"Ummm…" Kaira inserted, but no one heard.

"Yes because we do! Maybe you're too focused on being emo that's why you never noticed."

"You dirty mutt, stay away from my Kaira or else I'll make you regret ever worming your way into her life." Sasuke snapped.

"What in the world is going on in here?" Tsunade barged in while nobody was noticing. "I could hear you both from the lobby." Sasuke and Kiba looked back on Tsunade and were quiet. She looked at all three of them. Sasuke sitting up in bed, Kiba standing next to him and Kaira, faced away from them. Mei jumped off of Sasuke's lap and sat next to Akamaru. "You three just volunteered yourself for a mission."

"What?" Kaira questioned, turning towards them and an amazed look on her face.

"Yes, I just got back from checking on Lee and I noticed he needs something that this village doesn't have. I was just about to go to post the mission up, but I heard these two arguing."

"So you're going to give us a mission!" Kiba asked.

"Exactly, Shizune will fill you on it." Then she turned around and started walking out.

"Wait! Sasuke just barely was woken up this morning! He can't possibly be sent on a mission right away." Kaira tried. Tsunade turned her head halfway.

"He'll be fine. He isn't as bad off as Kakashi." She said and walked out. No one saw Shizune standing behind her, but with her gone, all eyes were on her. She straightened up

"Oh, uhm, hello, my name is Shizune and I am an apprentice under Lady Tsunade." Shizune introduced. Sasuke and Kiba were fuming so they didn't say anything. Kaira was too shocked to say anything. The only noised that could be heard was Mei and Akamaru chasing each other. "Yes, well, Lee used all the pain medication so Tsunade contacted the Sand Village and it appears they have quite a few. Your mission is a simple C rank mission because we need the pain medication quickly. I would advise leaving within the hour or so, we need the medication in 2 days." Shizune smiled at the teenagers and nodded. "That's it."

Silence.

More Silence.

"Umm, I'll tell Lady Tsunade that you three are getting ready to leave." Then Shizune turned and left.

"Arf, arf!" Akamaru barked playfully.

"Meow!" Mei cheered.

"So…" Kaira said under her breath, "I guess we better get going." Kaira said, bending down and picking up Mei.

"The new hokage isn't someone to mess with." Kiba finally said. "Well, it seems interesting, a mission with Kaira!" Kiba smirked at her and she smiled back. Sasuke reached for his glass of water and drank the rest of it.

"Yeah, a mission with Kaira." Sasuke said. "It would be great if the mutt didn't have to tag along, though." He finally got out of bed and stood up. "I'm going to my house and pack up a few of my things first."

"Yeah, me too." Kaira said, halfway out the door. Kiba followed Kaira. "I'll meet you by Konoha entrance in an hour, okay?" Sasuke nodded once before Kaira and Kiba left. Sasuke glared at the closed door and threw his glass across the room. It broke into a hundred pieces and he walked over to pick up one piece. This is what he wishes to do to Kiba.

**.:One Hour Later:.**

Kaira and Kiba were standing at Konoha's entrance, waiting for Sasuke to appear.

"I wonder if he got to his house okay." Kaira wondered aloud. Kiba scoffed and sat on the ground and played with Akamaru and Mei. "Kiba, could you try to get along with Sasuke on this mission, please?" Kiba closed his eyes and pictured being nice to Sasuke, but he couldn't imagine it.

"Why? So he can get closer to you and I just sit around like an idiot and act like it's okay?" Kiba questioned, looking up at her. "No, he called you his, that angers me. He's been hardly there for you recently. He doesn't have the right." Kaira blushed and looked away.

"Well, don't argue with him as much as you did earlier then, okay?"

"I'll try."

"Kiba, I care about you both and seeing you two argue hurts me. I can't choose between you two." Kiba flinched.

"Now that hurt me." He said under his breath. Kaira leaned closer.

"What did you say?" Kaira questioned. He shook his head.

"Nothing, okay, I won't argue with him." Kiba said, standing up and smirking at her. Kaira smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you." She said. He blushed and hugged her back.

"You ready to go?" Sasuke asked, popping out of no where. Kaira quickly jumped away from Kiba and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, y…yes." Kaira replied. Sasuke had a straight face as he passed them.

"We have about six hours of traveling to do tonight, then we'll set up camp." Sasuke calculated. "How does that sound, Kaira?"

"Sure." Kiba shrugged, following Sasuke.

"Oh, yeah, sounds like a plan." Kaira finally said, chasing after them both.

"Hey, Kaira, remember wheat we used to do as children?" Sasuke questioned. "Whenever we always went somewhere, we would always hold hands."

_Urgh, I remember that, it was so annoying, even as kids. _Kiba thought.

"Arf?" Akamaru looked over at Kiba, who shook his head.

"Yes, I remember." Kaira said.

Sasuke turned, but kept walking. "Let's do it again, for good luck on this mission." He held out his hand towards Kaira, who only starred.

_Yes, because we totally need luck on a C rank mission, great idea, Sasuke._ Kiba sarcastically thought.

"Arf, Arf?" Akamaru asked.

"Kinda." Kiba whispered to his companion.

"Oh, um, okay." Kaira said, taking his hand and intertwining hers with his. She smiled at him and he turned back around, leading them towards the hidden sand.

_If he keeps doing this during this mission, I'm doing to have to hurt him. _Kiba thought while looking at their hands. _He can't just hold Kaira's hand like that. So what if they did it as kids. She's mine now! _

_This is going to be a long mission…_ Kaira thought as she glanced between her hand and Kiba sneaking a peek every other second. _My two favorite people are with me, great. They hate each other, uh oh._ _I wonder why they hate each other? Its just over my friendship, that isn't worth hating someone over…_ But Kaira was clueless that their hatred wasn't only about friendship, it was about more, much more.

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**REVIEW? :3**


	23. Blooming Love

**OMG, I am sooooo sorry for the super late update :o  
I've been super busy :o but it's finally here!  
I felt bad so I forced myself to write!  
Please Enjoy~**

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**.: Three Hours Later:.**

"Kaira, you look tired." Kiba said, watching her drag behind as the three of them walked casually. They could hop through the trees but they decided to take it easy today. The awkwardness died down when Kaira released Sasuke's hand about an hour ago. "How much did you sleep last night?"

Kaira starred at the ground and groggily put one foot in front of the other.

"Kaira?" Kiba asked. He walked closer to her and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Kiba, what's wrong with her?" Sasuke asked, stopping and turning around.

"She's dead tired. It must be the sun beating down on her." Kiba replied. It appears that when Kaira's health is on the line, the two boys don't argue. "It's draining her. Plus, I don't think she slept much last night."

"Kaira, how much sleep did you get?" Sasuke asked, walking over to her. "Kaira?" He shook her and she snapped back to reality.

"Oh, um, I didn't sleep last night, I was too anxious for you to awaken." Kaira blurted without thinking. Sasuke recoiled but grinned. Sasuke: 1, Kiba: 0.

"We'll stop early, okay? You need to rest." Sasuke said, looking at their surroundings. "We need to walk a bit further until I want to stop." Kaira and Kiba nodded. "Tomorrow we're going to have to rush to the village though, but that's okay." He said and turned back around to lead them a little further.

"Are you okay, Kaira? Want me to give you a piggy back ride until we stop?" Kiba asked. Mei looked up at Kiba and nodded for Kaira.

"Oh, I would appreciate that, Kiba." Kaira said slowly. Kiba picked up Kaira and put her on his back. Sasuke: 1, Kiba: 1.

"Oh! Kaira, look, there's a lake!" Sasuke said and pointing down the road where a small glimpse of water was. I heard there was a river around here though, that's where I want to stop." He rushed forward. He wanted to hurry and stop so Kaira could get off of Kiba.

Kiba adjusted Kaira on his back and slowly followed Sasuke. Opposed to Sasuke, Kiba wants to enjoy this moment of triumph.

"Meow!"

"Arf!"

Mei and Akamaru ran past Kiba and Kaira. They were playing the entire time as they ran ahead of Sasuke as well.

"Well, I'm glad Mei and Akamaru are having fun." Kaira muttered under her breath. Kiba started walking slower and watched Sasuke's back. If Kaira rested, the two would be alone and who knows what would happen if Kaira wasn't around.

"Ah, there it is." Sasuke said, going off the path and running down a hill to the sound of water. "We can rest between the lake and the path so we don't get too sidetracked." Kiba nodded and followed Sasuke down the hill. They stopped in the forest where a log was rested on the ground. "Set her down here." Sasuke ordered, pointing to the log. Kiba studied Sasuke before letting Kaira down. She shifted on the log and looked at both boys standing over her.

"I'll try to hurry."

"You can't hurry rest, Kai." Kiba said and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"I'll be here when you wake up." Sasuke budded into their moment. He sat down by Kaira and watched her. Kiba rolled his eyes and climbed the tree closest to them.

_I'll just let Sasuke have this one moment with Kaira… I promised her I won't fight with him, so it's safer to just stay away from him. _Kiba thought and closed his eyes.

Mei and Akamaru ran around everyone, still playing. They were unaware of the awkwardness around everyone.

**.:Three Hours Later:.**

Kaira opened her eyes and rubbed them.

"Oh, you're up." Sasuke said and sat up. "Did you rest well?" He scooted closer and Kaira blushed.

"Ah, yes I did, I feel so much better now!" Kaira cheered. She looked at Sasuke, then passed him into the woods. It looked like there wasn't much daylight left in the day. "Huh? Where's Kiba?" Kaira finally asked. Sasuke flinched and looked away from her. Was Kaira really that oblivious?

"He left awhile ago to get from firewood since it'll be getting dark soon."

"Wow, I slept for a while, I'm sorry!" Kaira worried and made a face before falling to the ground.

"You still tired, Kaira?" Sasuke questioned, putting his arms around her and helping her up. She was clenching her stomach.

Then her stomach growled loud and clear.

"Ahh, you're hungry." Sasuke said obviously. "I guess we should go look for food."

"What?! You didn't bring anything?" Kaira rolled over and held her stomach tighter.

"I figured you would!" "You always brought the snacks for me." Kaira whined. "You're lacking, Sasuke."

Kaira giggled and sat up. Sasuke smiled and reached out to touch Kaira's face. Kaira recoiled, but let him caress her face.

To think, they grew up together. To think, they knew everything about each other. To think, Sasuke had Kaira in the palm of his hand. But then he pushed her away. His push was what introduced her to Kiba when they were kids. Sasuke regrets pushing her away now; if he didn't push her away, she would be his.

"Meow!" Mei pounced on Kaira from above. Apparently, Mei was in the tree above Sasuke and Kaira.

"Ah, Mei!" Kaira called and started petting her. Sasuke lowered his hand a bit to give her room to look at Mei. But when he saw how happy she was, how she smiled down at Mei, he felt jealous.

"Kaira." Sasuke said sharply, putting his hand on her chin. He squeezed a little and forced her to look back at him.

"S…Sasuke?" Kaira whispered, shocked about how rough he was with her.

_Her happiness isn't from me. She isn't smiling because of me._ Sasuke kept thinking as he starred into her eyes.

"Sasuke, w…what's wrong?" Kaira stuttered, struggling to get free. Mei hissed at Sasuke and she drew out her claws. Mei was ready to attack Sasuke.

"Arf!" Akamaru's bark could be heard in the distance.

Sasuke let go of Kaira and she let out a breath of relief. She gently touched her sore chin and glanced at Sasuke.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Sasuke trailed off and stood up and leaned against a thick tree stump. Kaira scooted away and calmed Mei down.

Kiba's head popped around a couple of trees and he caught a glimpse of Kaira. His face brightened. He was bored without her. "Kaira! You're awake!"

"I just woke up." Kaira smiled and stood up. She dusted herself off and went over to help Kiba carry the firewood over to their small camp.

"Kiba, make the fire." Sasuke ordered without looking at them. Kiba snapped his head towards Sasuke and glared at his back.

"Wh-"

"I'll do it." Kaira cut in. She didn't want to make things any more awkward then they already were. "I don't mind." She added and knelt down to organize the wood. "Ah~ I'm so hungry." Kaira said under her breath.

Akamaru looked up at Kiba and they exchanged looks. They finally picked up on the awkward aura.

Sasuke averted his eyes before he started walking down the hill.

Kiba kept his eyes on Sasuke until he saw him disappear. Then he knelt by Kaira and started helping her build the fire. "Did something happen while I was gone?" Kiba asked. Kaira shook her head, but remained quiet. "Kaira…" Kiba urged, but she said nothing.

_"Kaira, you're mine. I refuse to share you with the world" _

Sasuke's sentence kept running through Kaira's head. Was he so possessive of her that she can't even look away from him?

_I promised that I would put him first… but, is it really worth it? His happiness? …of course it is._ Kaira thought, picking up two sharp sticks and grinding them together.

Kiba watched her cautiously. He scooted Akamaru back a bit.

_He is basing his life off of me. Therefore, it's my responsibility for his happiness. Only I can make him happy, even if it means that I become miserable…_

"Kai!" Kiba yelled, grabbing her left hand.

Kaira snapped out of her train of thought and her eyes slowly looked to Kiba holding her hand. She saw blood. "Wha…what happened?" Kaira asked, confused.

"You stabbed yourself with the sharp wood." Kiba informed and lifted her bleeding her hand. "You didn't feel it? It went in pretty deep." Then it was like an electric shock throughout Kaira's arm.

"Oww!" Kaira whined and took her hand back from Kiba and looked at it. She inspected it and her vision suddenly turned blood red. Everything was red, but her blood was black. "A…Aaahh." Kaira screamed, falling backwards and holding her left hand. Her vision returned to normal when Kiba picked her up. He was leaning over her, but holding her tightly.

"Kai, what's going on?" Kiba questioned. Worry filled his eyes as he stared at her.

_My vision.. It was red. My blood was black. What was that?!_ Kaira thought before she blinked a couple of times. "Kiba…" Kaira muttered, starring into his eyes.

"What's wrong? This isn't the Kai I know. What happened?" Kiba asked, lifting her up and laying her against a tree.

"I…I don't know. I'm just so caught up in thought…" Kaira confessed.

"Kai, don't think around me." Kiba said, taking off his jacket and wrapping her in it. He went back to the fire and started it with ease. It was sunset, on the verge of night. "I just want you to be happy whenever you're around me."

Kaira snuggled with Kiba's jacket and covered herself with it. She blushed and watched him. He scooted beside her and grinned.

"We're friends and if you're sad, then I'll be sad." Kiba went on, "I want to share everything with you."

Kaira's blush deepened.

"If your suffering, let me suffer with you."

_This… it sounds like a love confession…_ Kaira thought, _but that couldn't be!_ She shook her head. _Why am I having these thoughts! Love confession? From Kiba? No way!_ But when she thought that, she felt a little disappointed.

"Now tell me what's wrong." Kiba concluded. They locked eyes and both of them blushed, but Kaira was the first to look away. Kiba finally looked back at her hand and started to wrap it with bandage he always carrys.

"Well… when I came to the hospital this morning…"

Kaira told Kiba as much as she could. About how Sasuke is basing his life off of her. How Sasuke claims Kaira and refuses to share. She told Kiba about all the thoughts that filled her head. How Sasuke's happiness is her responsibility. How she has to make him happy, even if it means she won't be. She told Kiba about how Sasuke had grabbed her. She explained how she didn't know how her actions would hurt him.

"That isn't right." Kiba simply said, leaning back and looking up at the stars. "You shouldn't suffer just because of Sasuke. He needs to learn to make himself happy and stop relying on you. It makes me angry!" Kiba threw a rock into the fire and it crackled. "Can't he see that he isn't the only one in your life? He isn't the only one who wants your attention."

"What do you mean, Kiba?" Kaira asked, wiping tears away from her eyes. Kiba refused to look at her now. "Kiba?"

"Nothing…" Kiba replied. "I just mean, you shouldn't feel like it's your responsibility. He didn't feel any responsibility when he ditched you."

Kiba's word hit a nerve for Kaira and she hid herself in his jacket.

"I'm sorry." Kiba scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her. "That's probably not what you wanted to hear."

"No, it'll do just fine." Kaira murmured. The two of them just stayed by the fire like that. Kaira wrapped in Kiba's jacket as he held her. Akamaru and Mei were quietly laying in the distance.

"Kaira…" Kiba said her name softly.

"Yes, Kiba?" She lifted her head and looked up at him.

"I… um… I never imagined becoming this close with a Nekoosa." Kiba blushed nervously. That didn't come out how he wanted. Kaira smiled and giggled a bit.

"I'm glad we can be close like this." Kaira nodded. Kiba brought his hands back and put them on either side of Kaira's face. "Hmm?" She hummed. Kiba moved closer to her and his blush was apparent now. When Kaira saw, she blushed as well.

_Wha-what is he trying to do?!_ Kaira freaked out in her head as he kept moving closer and closer.

"Kai… can I, umm…" Kiba trailed off. Then Kaira realized what was happening. She didn't know if she would mind or not.. Would she? She was at a loss for words; she didn't know what to say.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked.

"Damn it." Kiba cursed under his breath and let go of Kaira. He took his jacket from her and scooted away, but was still blushing like crazy.

"Why didn't you?" Kaira finally managed to say. Kiba jumped and looked at her. He couldn't believe she said that.

"Kaira, I went down to the lake and caught you some fish." Sasuke said, walking up the hill with two handful of fish.

_Oh, that's why. _Kaira thought. _Akamaru must have warned him so we wouldn't be caught in a weird situation when Sasuke is around…_

Sasuke took a seat between Kiba and Kaira.

"Wow, that's so sweet of you, Sasuke." Kaira smiled.

"I wanted to make it up to you for being so rude earlier. So I went to get you some dinner." Sasuke went on. He grabbed a stick and pierced the fish and placed it by the fire. "I hope you can forgive me."

Kaira watched the fish cook without much thought in her head. "Of course, Sasuke. I always will." She smiled sadly, "it was very thoughtful of you to get me dinner, Sasuke." Kaira mumbled.

"You are my life." Sasuke replied promptly.

Kaira squinted her eyes, but accepted what Sasuke said.

Kiba crawled away from them and laid down. _. I should have just told her I like her. I should have just kissed her. If I had, things would be different. _

This was an awkward mission already. By now, it was obvious that both boys liked her, and maybe, Kaira is finally catching on.

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	24. An Act of Jealousy

**Here It Is~**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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**.:The Next Morning:.**

Kaira was the first awake. She sat around the burnt out fire while Sasuke and Kiba continued sleeping.

"Meow?" Mei asked quietly, but Kaira didn't answer. She simply picked up Mei and started petting her.

_I dunno, Mei…_ Kaira thought to herself. The moment when Kiba was about to kiss her kept replaying in her head. _Why would he do that…_ Kaira spun around and looked down at the lake. With the dawn approaching, the lake was in clear sight.

Kaira got up quietly and started walking downhill. Akamaru awoke from his sensitive ears hearing Kaira walk away and he nudged on Kiba's face. Kiba woke and saw Kaira walking away. He glanced at Sasuke and saw that he was still asleep so Kiba took it as another chance.

"You thirsty, Mei?" Kaira asked, setting Mei down by the lake. Kaira sat down and watched the water quietly. Mei took a few drinks of water and lowered her ears.

Kiba stepped on a branch and it broke, startling Kaira. She pulled out a kunai and threw it back and hit a tree inches by Kiba's face.

"What're you trying to do?!" Kiba growled, pulling the kunai out of the tree.

"Oh, Kiba…" Kaira mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"Don't 'oh Kiba' me when you almost planted a kunai into my head!" Kiba yelled, throwing the kunai to the ground. Kaira remained silent and turned back around. "Hey!"

Akamaru came around Kiba's leg and tackled Mei into the shallow end of the lake. Mei hissed. As everyone knows, cats do not like water.

"Kai?" Kiba asked, finally calming down and sitting next to her. She blushed and hugged her knees to hide her face from his sight. "Something wrong?"

Mei jumped out of the water but Akamaru splashed her again and she ran off, with Akamaru chasing after her.

"When I was a child, I almost drowned." Kaira whispered, lifting her head and starring at the water. "That's why I don't like a large body of water."

Kiba nodded, trying to understand where she was getting at.

"I saved her." Sasuke said. Kaira and Kiba looked back at Sasuke who was wide awake. Kaira slightly smiled and Kiba glared. "We better get going to the Sand village, we have a ways to go." Kaira nodded and stood up. Kiba just stayed still and watched Kaira follow Sasuke up the hill.

_What's the point of that..? He saved her then, so Kaira feels like she has to save him now?_ Kiba wondered, biting his lip. A trickle of blood trailed down his chin. _That bastard._

**.:Six Hours Later, Sand Village:.**

_It's so hard to just standby and let Sasuke do what he wants to Kaira._ Kiba growled. Over their travel, Sasuke had kept touching Kaira's hand and grazing her shoulder. Nothing major but enough to anger the Inuzuka. _Kaira is mine._ As Kiba was filled with ill wishes of the Uchiha, Sasuke and Kaira entered the Sand Village.

"I've never been here before. Is this where that red-headed kid from the Chuunin exams is from?" Kaira asked, thinking of Gaara and Sasuke's fight. Sasuke clenched his fist and said nothing.

_I mean, I'm so much better than Sasuke. I love Kaira!_ Kiba paused and blushed. Did he just admit that he loved Kaira?

"Arf?"

"Hmm?" Kaira turned back and saw Kiba blushing. She turned and looked at all the people surrounding them.

"I see you all made it here safely." Temari said, coming up to them from the crowd of people. "Lady Tsunade told me to accompany you to the hospital."

"I remember you from the Chuunin exams!" Kaira said.

"Yes, my name is Temari, I'm Gaara's sister."

"I'm Kaira, and this is Kiba and Sasuke." Kaira motioned for each one representatively. Temari nodded and told them to follow her.

Kaira opened her mouth to speak, but then turned back to Kiba. He was looking at Kaira and blushing, but quickly looked away when she looked at him. _Oh! He's blushing at Temari; does he like her?_

"So, Tsunade told me that you all need a certain medicine that we have here." Temari stated.

"That's correct." Sasuke replied.

Kaira just starred at the back of Temari's head. _Why would he like her? I mean, she's pretty, but am I not worth blushing over?! _Kaira rolled her eyes. Was this a hint of jealousy she was feeling?_ He almost kissed me, he shouldn't be looking at other girls. _Kaira blushed, remembering the memory.

"Kai?" Kiba questioned, rushing to walk by her. Kaira glanced at him, but she was still feeling angry at him and she didn't even know why! "I have to tell you something."

Sasuke looked at them and he didn't like what he was seeing.

"Kaira, tell Temari about what Shizune told us." Sasuke said, grabbing Kaira's hand and pulling her to stand by Temari and him instead of Kiba. Kiba glared at Sasuke, who gladly returned it.

"Meow!" Mei was struggling to walk between all of their feet. Akamaru bounced around playfully.

"Oh, well you see…" Kaira started explaining the whole Lee story to Temari.

Sasuke blocked off Kaira from Kiba's view, causing the latter to become more angry.

_I will kill you!_ Kiba hissed in his thoughts. _If you weren't so close to Kaira, I would do it right now!_ Because of the promise he made to her, he was left to only think bad thoughts about Sasuke.

"Here we are." Temari finally said. She led them inside the hospital and up dozens of stairs. "The medicine we have should be in this room." Temari opened a door with many rows stacked with medicine containers.

"I wonder how many Lady Tsunade needs." Kaira wondered aloud. She walked in and went down the rows. Temari followed, but went down a different row.

Sasuke went down another row and Kiba watched Sasuke disappear. Kiba crept up behind Kaira and smiled at her. "Kai?"

She looked up at him, but pouted.

"Do me a favor and go help Temari find the medicine." Kaira said coldly. Kiba studied her. Her cold attitude had no effect on him. In fact, it went right over his head.

"Kai, I need to tell you something." Kiba persisted. He put both hands on her shoulders and took a deep breath. Akamaru and Mei peered down the row where their masters were together. "Kaira, I love you." Kiba gushed out. Kaira starred at his face and smiled.

"I love you too, Kiba." Kaira replied with no hesitation. "You're one of the closest friends I have."

That did it. His confession wasn't taken seriously. She thought he mean love as a friend. Well, this is awkward…

"I found them." Temari's voice was echoing through the room. Kaira smiled wider and brushed past Kiba.

"If you would have confessed correctly, I could have been in trouble." Sasuke shrugged, appearing in the same row. "If you really knew Kaira, you should know how oblivious she is. If you say you love her, she'll assume as friends." Sasuke smirked. "Good thing I'm the only one who actually knows her."

"Sasuke, you-!" Kiba growled, tackling Sasuke and pushing down several shelves of medicine.

"Arf!" Akamaru jumped in to help Kiba.

"Meow." Mei ran over to get Kaira.

Kiba punched Sasuke, but Sasuke wasn't harmed. He fought back using his Sharingan. Sasuke reached down for a kunai and quickly thrust it up, towards Kiba's neck. Kiba jumped back, barely dodging a deadly attack.

"Oh, so you want to fight like that?" Kiba was aroused now. "It's been a while since I've had a good fight!" Kiba crouched down and Akamaru jumped on top of him. "Beast Human Clone!" A poof of smoke appeared and Akamaru turned into Kiba.

"I've been waiting for this." Sasuke smirked, taking out many more kunai. "I can defeat you only using my Sharingan and kunai. Kiba snapped and glared.

"Fang-over-Fang!"

"Wind Release: Spiraling Wind Ball."

Right when Kiba and Sasuke went for each other, a ball of wind formed between them and blasted them both backwards.

"Seriously?! In a hospital?!" Kaira yelled. Temari shook her head. "Geez! What's with you two?! Why do you always fight?!" Kaira went on. This time, tears formed in her eyes. "I love you both, so when you two fight…" She started crying and ran out of the room.

Kiba sat up and rubbed his head. He cussed silently.

Sasuke stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

"Well, here you guys go." Temari said, handing them a box of medicine. "Just don't worry about this mess; we got it." She signed and lifted up one of the shelves.

**.:One Hour Later:.**

The two boys have been searching for Kaira all over the place. They even got lost a few times.

"Arf, arf!" Akamaru barked, lifting his head from the sand. He was smelling for Mei, who took off after Kaira. Akamaru started running down the road and Kiba chased after him; Sasuke shyly followed Kiba.

They ran down multiple streets, but this village was so confusing to them. They have never been here before, how were they supposed to know where to go?

"Kai!" Kiba called, looking everywhere he ran. Sasuke looked at Kiba before he adjusted the box on his back. "Kai!"

"Arf!" Akamaru barked quietly, pushing his nose against a piece of cloth hanging in the entryway of a food shop.

"Should have known." Kiba shook his head and walked into the run down shop. "Kaira." Kiba sighed, walking over to where she was sitting.

Her eyes were red, her nose was puffy, her expression was tired.

"I'm sorry, Kai." Kiba whispered, sitting by her. She turned away and sniffed.

Sasuke entered the shop and glanced at them talking.

"I know I promised you and I should have kept that promise." Kiba said, inching closer to her.

Mei jumped on his lap and her purple ribbon caught Kiba's eye. After Kiba bought that for her, Kaira always puts it on Mei. When he gave it to her, it was when he realized he had feelings for Kaira. "I will do anything to make you happy."

"I should have known that no matter what, you two will always fight." Kaira tried to smile. She turned to him. "You two are all I have."

Kiba wrapped his arms around her and she leaned against him.

Sasuke put his head down, bit his lip, and walked out of the store. He lost her. He lost Kaira; that's for sure.

"I will try my hardest to make you happy." Kiba said under his breath. Kaira barely heard, but smiled. She lifted her head up and kissed his cheek. _If Sasuke means that much to Kaira, I won't argue with him anymore. I might even try to understand him. That doesn't mean I'll give Kaira to him though, she's still mine._

"Thank you, Kiba." Kaira mumbled.

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